Christy (Complete)
by APhantasm
Summary: Christy Jenkins was kidnapped when she was seven years old by the Watcher's Council. She grew up thinking she was Buffy Summers and just before the battle of the First Evil the sisters will finally be reunited.
1. Prologue

**Summary:** Christy Jenkins was kidnapped when she was seven years old by the Watcher's Council. She grew up thinking she was Buffy Summers and just before the battle of the First Evil the sisters will finally be reunited.

**A/U:** Set Season 7 BTVS and Mid-Season 8 Charmed. Everything after '12 Angry Zen' is ignored except for a couple things. While Henry and Coop are not in this story it should be known that Paige and Henry and Coop and Phoebe are already together. Paige also already has the ability to heal.

**Pairings: **None

**Disclaimer:** Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. CBS Television Distribution owns Charmed (I have yet to confirm this but I assume it's true since CBS has been looking at doing a reboot of Charmed and they couldn't do that without the rights.)

**Author's Note:**This is in response to a challenge Faithbblove101 posted to me in a guest review.

* * *

**Prologue**

"Mr. Jenkins, your daughter is destined to fight …"

"I don't care what you believe, sir," said Carl Jenkins. "You are not laying one hand on my daughter. Now if you would kindly leave my home before I call the police."

The men looked at each and nodded as the left the house. There were other ways to get the Potential from the Jenkins' home.

"We will have to take her by force," said one of the men an hour later as they watched the Jenkins' home from down the block.

"Agreed," said the other.

That night as it rained the two men returned to the Jenkins' home. They quietly searched for the window that led to the girl's bedroom. The last window they looked into finally revealed the girl and her sister asleep.

"Cast the locator spell. Make sure we get the right girl," said one of the men as the other cast the spell that had been designed to locate Potential Slayers. Once they were assured which girls was which they entered through the window just as lightning flashed.

One of the men held a cloth of chloroform over their intended prey's mouth making sure she would not scream. They grabbed seven year-old Christy Jenkins and made off with her into the night.

It was then that Christy's five year-old sister woke up and got out of bed. She had been having a bad dream and as she usually did she moved over to her sister's bed intending to sleep with her. But the bed was empty, her sister was missing.

Fifteen years later in a Chinese Sacred Garden Billie sat under the pavilion and crossed her legs as Lo Pan watched. "Can't I just sit in a chair?" she asked.

"Stop resisting. Just relax. Now, what happened the first time you tried to use this new power of yours?" said Lo Pan.

"Hmm," said Billie. "Well, I turned my parents into assassins."

"Oh ... I see. All the more reason to focus completely on what you wish to project this time, what you truly wish to find," said Lo Pan.

"After fifteen years, I want to find my big sister," said Billie.

Lo Pan nodded. "That's practical, not emotional," he said as he moved closer to her. "That's not how your power works. Think, deep down ... What is it that you truly want?"

"I want to see Christy," said Billie. "I want to know what she's been going through all these years."

"All right," said Lo Pan as Billie closed her eyes. "Then concentrate on that. Allow the world that surrounds you to disappear. Allow time to be nothing but an idea."

"Don't bend the spoon—Imagine there is no spoon?" said Billie as Lo Pan cleared his throat. "Sorry."

"Think of only Christy ... of seeing her again ... of where she went ..." said Lo Pan as Billie pressed her fingertips to her temple, "... of understanding. " She put her hands down and concentrated. "Let your power take you where you need to go. Now."

Suddenly, the world around Billie changed around her. The Sacred Garden disappeared to be replaced by that of a small bedroom in a house. She opened her eyes and looked around as she heard banging and got to her feet. "Lo Pan? Where are you? What is going on?" she asked as she walked over to the door. "Lo Pan?" Behind her, in the darkness, Billie heard movement. "Who's there?"

From behind a chair, a figure stepped out as Billie stepped forward and instantly recognized the figure. "Christy, is that you?" she asked as the girl before her cringed and took a step back. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." She watched as the girl stepped forward again, close enough for her to see the girl's face. "Unbelievable."

Moments later Billie and a very young Christy sat on the bed, talking. "I hear them outside, whispering, the only thing I can understand is the word Slayer," said Christy.

"Slayer?" asked Billie as Christy nodded. "It's okay. It's okay. Look, I'm here now, okay?"

"I still don't understand how," said Christy.

"Yeah, that makes two of us. All I know is I'm supposed to be with you now and try to figure this out so I can get you out of here," said Billie.

Christy shook her head. "No, they won't let us. They won't let us."

"Have you tried using your powers?" asked Billie.

"Powers?" asked Christy in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You know, your powers ... magic," said Billie as Christy shook her head. "Christy, you're a witch, just like me. You must have some powers. That - Wait ... Powers. That must be what they want from you." She noticed Christy's necklace on the nightstand and picked it up, it was the one her mother had given Christy for her birthday just before she was taken. "You're necklace."

Suddenly the sound of whispering came from just outside the door as Billie and Christy got to their feet.

"Is the memory spell ready?"

"Yes."

Christy clutched Billie's arm as they stare at the door. "It's them! I want to go home! Please take me home."

"Lo Pan?" said Billie as Christy let go of Billie and edged back to her hiding place.

"Hurry, Billie," said Christy.

"Lo Pan! Get us out of here now!" said Billie and suddenly she found herself back in the Sacred Garden without Christy.

That evening at the Manor Billie was talking to Piper in the attic. "You're sure that Christy said the word Slayer?" Piper asked.

"Yes," Billie said, "Why?"

Piper moved towards the Book of Shadows. "I remember seeing an entry for this Slayer in here," she said as she flipped the pages till she found the one she wanted and read from it. "Into every generation a Slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer."

"What does that mean?" asked Billie. "And what does that have to do with Christy?"

"I don't know," said Piper. "You said you heard them say something about a memory spell?"

Billie nodded. "Yeah. One of them said, 'Is the memory spell ready'. And the other said 'Yes'. You don't think they cast a memory spell to make Christy think she was this Slayer?"

"Possibly," said Piper. "Or possibly she is this Slayer and they cast the memory spell to make her forget you and your family. Either way I think you've been looking at this wrong. She wasn't kidnapped by a demon, but by human beings."

Billie's eyes went wide, she knew Piper was right. "You might be right. Which means she could be anywhere and she might not even remember me either," she said.

"It's a possibility, Billie," said Piper. "On top of that she may have a family. A mother, a father, sisters or even brothers. She might even have a husband and children for all we know. Family that she is not going to easily leave behind just because she once upon a time was Christy."

"I know, Piper. I know she may have another family," said Billie. "I just … I need to find her. Once we have a location we can go from there."

Piper nodded. "Okay," she said. "How are you going to find her?"

Billie held up Christy's necklace as she smiled. "I brought this back when I saw her. It's hers, mom gave it to her shortly before she disappeared," she said.

Piper nodded. "Okay. If you find her or need any help let me know okay."

Billie nodded as she turned toward the map and began to scry.


	2. Chapter 1: Empty Places Pt 1

**Chapter 1: Empty Places Pt 1  
**

Sunnydale was falling: The Hellmouth's jittery pressure cooker had finally boiled up into panic as the inhabitants of Sunnydale fled for their lives. Chaos raced up the street screaming alongside women, children, shop owners shutting down for the last time.

Surrounded by throngs, Buffy Summers walked alone.

Behind her a Jeep carrying three witches pulled onto Main Street passing the mass exodus that was leaving town.

"Everyone seems to be getting the hell out of town," said Phoebe. "Are you sure this is where the crystal hit, Billie?"

"Yeah, positive," said Billie. "I'm going to need a Sunnydale street map to get better pinpoint. You guys didn't have one."

The passed a blonde who was talking to someone in a red VW Beetle and pulled into a convenience store just down the block. As Phoebe hopped out and ran inside to get Billie a map of Sunnydale, Billie looked back down the street at Buffy.

"What," asked Piper as she followed Billie's gaze back down the street.

"I don't know, something about that girl," said Billie as Phoebe came back out and hopped back into the Jeep.

"Here, Billie," said Phoebe as she handed Billie the map of town. "The owner said we were lucky to get here today. He's closing up the store and going on vacation in a few hours."

Billie unfolded the map and pulled out the scrying crystal and Christy's necklace out of her pocket. She began scrying.

At that same moment Buffy walked down the street toward the convenience store and the Jeep that was still parked there.

Billie watched as the crystal dropped pretty much right on top of where they were at. "She's nearby," said Billie as she looked out the window at Buffy that was walking down the street toward them. "It has to be."

"Has to be, what?" asked Phoebe, confused as she followed Billie's gaze out the window. "Her?"

"Maybe," said Billie as she got out of the Jeep and walked over to Buffy. "Excuse me, I'm looking for someone and I was hoping you could help me."

"I can try," said Buffy. "Who are you looking for?"

"Her name is Christy Jenkins," said Billie. She could see in Buffy's eyes there was no recognition of the name.

"I'm sorry I don't know anyone by the name of Christy," said Buffy. "It's possible she left town."

"What's going on?" Piper asked as she walked up beside Billie.

"Something big is going down …" said Buffy as she looked back at the line of traffic heading out of town. "Something bad. If you excuse me I was heading to visit a friend who's in the hospital." She started walking away from them.

"Have you seen this before?" asked Billie as she held up Christy's necklace.

Buffy turned to face Billie and looked at the necklace, her eyes instantly going wide. She had dreamt of that necklace for fifteen years.

"I can see you do," said Billie.

"I … I have dreamt of that necklace off and on for a very long time," said Buffy. "Where did you get it?"

"It belonged to my sister, Christy," said Billie. "My name is Billie Jenkins. These are my friends Piper and Phoebe Halliwell."

"I'm Buffy," said Buffy as she stared at the necklace.

"Piper, I think there is one way to find out if this is indeed Christy," said Phoebe as she made a hand gesture.

Piper nodded in understanding. If this was Christy and she was indeed a good witch then she wouldn't freeze. She raised her hands and froze the street around them.

Silence suddenly assaulted Buffy's hearing as she looked around at the street. Cars were no longer moving. The noise of engines and people no longer heard. Even the sounds of birds had suddenly disappeared. Buffy looked to the three women in front of her. "What did you do?"

"Oh, she just froze everything," said Phoebe. "Everything will be fine."

"If that is true," said Buffy. "How come I'm not frozen?"

"Because," said Piper. "Good witches don't freeze."

Buffy began to laugh. "I'm not a witch, seriously. Beside witches can't freeze time. My friend Willow is a witch and she can't do that."

"Must be a progenitor," said Phoebe as Buffy looked at her. "A progenitor is the beginnings of a new magical line. They can cast spells but otherwise don't have powers. I have the power of premonition. Piper has the power of molecular immobilization and molecular combustion. In another words she can freeze time and blow things up. Billie here has the power of telekinesis and projection."

Buffy shook her head as she looked at the three girls in front of her. "So I guess I'm supposed to be this Christy. Nice try. I know who I am."

"Fifteen years ago you were kidnapped," said Billie as she explained what she knew. "I had thought originally by demons. But it turns out she was kidnapped by this group of men." She held up the necklace again. "I was able to use my projection power to project myself back to just after she was taken and managed to bring this back with me. We've already ascertained that you recognize it. And the fact that you didn't freeze. Which means you are Christy."

"But I'm not," said Buffy. "I remember back when I was six years old when my mom brought my baby sister home from the hospital. That was sixteen years ago. That means I can't be Christy."

Billie, Piper and Phoebe looked at each other. They wondered why the men that took Christy would cast such a spell. If Christy was a Potential Slayer wouldn't that mean they would have stripped her memories of anything like that?

"There is a way to find out," said Piper. "If you consent to it that is. We have a memory spell that may awaken your memories as Christy. It was used actually a couple years ago by me, Phoebe and my other sister Paige with success. We reworded it to be used on Christy only. If you're not Christy it will do nothing as you will have no buried memories. If you are Christy as Billie seems to think, then it will awaken memories that may have been buried by a memory spell cast by your abductors."

Buffy sighed. "Look I have to think this over."

Piper moved back to her Jeep and pulled out a pen and pad from her purse and jotted down her cell phone number. "Call me at this number when you've decided."

Buffy took the number and stuffed it into her pocket. "Alright." She took off heading for the hospital. She hopped Willow had her laptop. It would make everything easier to do from there.

Billie watched as Buffy walked away and then she turned and walked back to Piper's jeep with Piper and Phoebe. She sighed and shook her head. "I'll scry again. But I'm almost certain it's her."

"Phoebe did you get anything from her?" Piper asked. She remembered that Phoebe had only recently earned her empathy power back after having all of her powers stripped away at the tribunal that would have killed Darryl Morris to clean up potential exposure risks.

"She believes every word she said," said Phoebe. "She truly remembers her mother bringing her baby sister home."

Billie sighed as she got out the map and laid it on the hood of Piper's Jeep as she began to scry. This time the crystal did not land almost immediately. It was twenty minutes later and Billie's arm was getting tired. Finally the crystal landed on Sunnydale Memorial Hospital. The exact place Buffy had said she was heading for.

Xander lay in his hospital bed, bandage over his eye … where his eye should have been, and Willow could hardly stand it. She couldn't bear to see him so wounded. It terrified her.

"... and that you should expect to see some bruising when you remove the bandage," Buffy was saying to him as Willow tried to focus, try to stay present. "Bruising around the ... area. The … musculature and bone structure took a heavy hit."

"Okay," Xander replied.

"Also, the meds may cause some stomach discomfort," Buffy ventured, "so we're gonna have to be, you know, careful." She took a breath. "About your diet."

"Can't really taste anything, anyway," Xander confided. "I keep waiting for all my other senses to improve by fifty percent, should kick in any day now."

"And we're looking at a possible release as early as tonight," Buffy soldiered on. "Once your labs are back. Doctor Kallet says they should be a couple hours."

"Great," Xander said as he and Buffy looked at each other.

Buffy sighed, she wondered why she was procrastinating. "Guys there is something I wanted to talk to you about. Well more Willow, but. On my way here. I ran into some people, they were looking for this girl named Christy Jenkins."

"We don't know a Christy," Willow said.

"I know," said Buffy. "But according to them. I'm Christy. They had some convincing stuff such as this necklace I've only seen in my dreams off and on for fifteen years now. I was wondering Will, do you have your laptop here?"

"Yeah," said Willow as she leaned down and opened her bag, pulling out said laptop. "You want me to look them up?"

"Yeah," said Buffy. "Start with Christy Jenkins."

Willow nodded as she got on the internet. One thing she had done before going off the deep end had been to magically increase the range of her Wi-Fi. She could practically get on the internet from just about anywhere in town.

Buffy waited as Willow searched. To tell the truth she was a tad bit anxious to find out something about these people.

"Okay," said Willow. "There are a few news reports about Christy Jenkins dating back fifteen years ago. She was abducted from her home while her parents slept in the next room. Her sister slept in the same room and woke when she heard a noise. It says that she thought she had a bad dream and moved to sleep with her sister when she found said sister gone. She immediately went and woke her parents."

"Is there a picture?" asked Buffy. She was curious to see what this Christy looked like.

"Yeah, hold on," said Willow as she pulled up a picture. "Here is Christy at age seven. Using image software developed in recent years they have …" She pulled up the second image and stopped. The second image looked like Buffy. She then looked back at the first image and frowned.

Willow remembered when she had entered Buffy's mind and saw six year-old Buffy waiting for Joyce and Hank to come home with Dawn. The image she was staring at was a mirror image of the six year-old Buffy she had seen in Buffy's mind.

"Well?" Xander asked. The suspense was beginning to kill him.

Willow turned the laptop so both Xander and Buffy could see the two images and their eyes went wide. "So," Buffy said as she stared at the images on the screen. "It's possible. Where do those images comes from?"

"San Diego Police Department," said Willow. "Which means if it is all a fake out. It's one hell of a fake out, dating all the way back to 1989 when the initial police report was filed."

Buffy sighed. "If it's true then how come I don't remember even being adopted? I remember mom bringing Dawn home from the hospital. That was a whole year before this girl went missing."

"Well," said Willow. "That could be a result of the monks. They may not have known that you were adopted and when they cast their spell to add Dawn to our memories they didn't take into account that you might have been adopted and overwrote your real history. Which now that I think about it, it explains something I felt from you, Buffy."

"What do you mean?" asked Xander as he looked at Willow quizzically. "You felt something from Buffy?"

"You both remember when you, Buffy, slipped into a coma after Glory took Dawn?" Willow as Buffy and Xander nodded. "I went into your, Buffy, mind, remember. While inside I could sense there was like maybe a block like some memories were being held back. I just assumed that it was you know typical childhood repression, from when your parents were fighting before the divorce. But what if it wasn't? What if it was a block created by the monks memory spell?"

"Okay," said Buffy as her mind reeled with that information. "Look up Billie Jenkins."

"Ok give me a second," said Willow as she did a search on the name. "Here we go. She's twenty years old. A student at the University of San Francisco. Her parents are Carl and Helen Jenkins. She's mentioned some in the stories about Christy's abduction."

"And Piper and Phoebe Halliwell?"

"Piper Halliwell is the owner of a nightclub called P3. According to her bio on the club's website she dreams of owning her own restaurant. She holds a culinary degree and worked for about a year at a restaurant known as Quake. She is married to Leo Wyatt the third," said Willow. "Phoebe Halliwell is the advice columnist for the Bay Mirror newspaper in San Francisco. According to her bio on the newspaper's website. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in psychology. She was briefly married to former San Francisco assistant district attorney Cole Turner. According to police records he mysteriously disappeared two years ago. Phoebe is now married to Coop Smith. I can find no information on him. Phoebe and Piper had a third sister, Prue that was murdered in their home in San Francisco. Her case was never solved. Now this is interesting. Until last year Piper, Phoebe, Prue and their half-sister Paige were mentioned in a lot of unsolved cases. Then the Department of Homeland Security took notice. Interesting the Department of Homeland Security later exonerated them and reportedly they even worked with the Department of Homeland Security on some unsolved cases."

"What about Paige?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know," said Willow. "It will take time to dig up on her. According to what is posted both on Piper and Phoebe's bios she was adopted as a baby and reunited with them four years ago. They don't mention what her last name is in either bio."

"Okay," said Buffy. "Try and find out what you can."


	3. Chapter 2: Empty Places Pt 2

**Chapter 2: Empty Places Pt 2**

Faith and two of the Potentials went to the front door to find Buffy coming in, a thick manila folder with her. Dawn came down the stairs.

"Buffy!" Dawn cried. "How's Xander?"

"He's doing really well. He's ready to come home, I think," Buffy said.

Faith gestured to the manila folder. "Whatcha got?"

"Info Willow and Giles were able to get from the police database," Buffy replied, dropping the file on the dining room table. "We figure, you know, with Caleb's overt religiosity thing, if we want to learn more about him, we should try finding out maybe where he's been."

Faith flipped through the file. "Incidents of violence and vandalism connected to California and religious institutions in the last ten years." She added, for the benefit of Kennedy and Amanda, "Looks like this gives us a place to start."

"Exactly," Buffy concurred. "We start with California. If nothing turns up, we expand the search to other area. But a guy like Caleb didn't just get in the game. He's been playing for a while. We thought we'd try to find out where."

"So we look at recent events, see if anything smacks of Caleb's MO," Dawn ventured.

"Right. And if that doesn't work, we'll try something else," Buffy said. "Whatever it takes." She looked at Dawn. "You okay to help?"

Dawn raised her brows in mock innocence as she drawled, "Well I was going to do lots of homework, but darn all the luck, that's when they cancelled school. So it turns out I have the time."

"Good," Buffy said, settling at the table.

There was a moment, and then Dawn ventured. "Hey, now, what was Xander's mood like, you know, exactly? 'Cause yesterday he seemed more resigned than morose, so I was wondering if he's trending upward still."

Buffy didn't hear her sisters as her mind went over what Willow had found on Christy. Or more precisely on the pictures she had found of Christy. Could it be possible it was a hoax? And if it was, did they hack into the police files and plant the information. She doubted they planted the information. Why would they? She saw no benefit to doing that. She was pretty sure they weren't working for the First Evil. Because why would the First Evil send three of its people to pretend she was this Christy. What benefit would it get?

Buffy could see no benefits for the First Evil sending her three possible witches, one of which was saying she was her sister. That would mean the potential sister would side with her not against her in the final battle, right?

"Uhm guys," Buffy said as she stood up. "I just remembered I gotta get to the school, pick up the rest of my stuff." She moved toward the door stopping only to pick up her cell phone and then walked out the door.

At a motel a few blocks over Paige, who had orbed to Sunnydale so that Piper could take her car back to San Francisco, and Phoebe watched as Billie was scrying again for the tenth time.

"She's on the move again," said Billie as Piper's cell phone rang. Piper had left and taken Paige's so that if Buffy called they would be available.

"Hello?" said Phoebe as she answered.

"Hi, this is Buffy."

"Hello, Buffy," said Phoebe as she looked toward Billie who smiled. "Did you come to a decision?"

"Yes. I have to know."

"Okay do you know where the Sunnydale Motor Lodge is?" asked Phoebe.

"Yeah."

"Were in room 19," said Phoebe.

"I'll be there in five minutes."

Phoebe heard the call end as she hung up the phone. "She's on her way. We may have to conference call Piper. I can't remember. When you wrote the original spell to help us remember that Wyatt had been taken, do you remember if it was a power of three?"

"I don't think it was," said Paige. "We'll try casting it without her and if it doesn't work we can always call Piper then."

"You're right," said Phoebe. "Billie?"

"I … I just hope she is my sister," said Billie. "And that she wants to get to know me again."

"She will," said Paige as she looked at her charge.

Just then a knock came at the door as Phoebe moved to it and opened it to reveal Buffy standing there. She moved out of the way and motioned for the girl to enter.

Buffy sighed as she looked at everyone. She then noticed Piper was gone. "Uh?" she said as she looked at Paige.

"Oh this is my sister, Paige," said Phoebe. "She's a witch also just like Piper and myself. Piper is taking her car back to San Francisco as we no longer need it to get around."

"You don't?" asked Buffy, confused.

Paige smiled and orbed from one side of the room to the other. "No we don't. I can do that over greater distances. I can get us back to San Francisco easily."

Buffy nodded as she looked toward Billie. She could see in the blonde girl's eyes that she hoped that Buffy was indeed Christy. Buffy smiled at her and nodded. "Okay, what do I have to do?"

"Nothing," said Phoebe. "Paige and I will do all the work. Why don't you sit down though? While we have cast a version of this spell before. It had a different effect than the one were hoping it will have."

"A different effect?" asked Buffy.

"It took us back in time," said Paige. "It gave us the ability to relive what we had forgotten. And even remembered other things also."

"Oh," said Buffy. "Do you think that will happen to me?"

"We doubt it," said Phoebe. "We think because what happened to you happened so long ago that it will just reawaken the memories that were suppressed."

"Okay," said Buffy as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "Just a second will it erase any of my other memories?"

"What do you mean?" asked Phoebe.

"A couple years ago, some monks cast a spell upon me, my friends, and my mom. You see at one time Dawn, my sister, was this green ball of energy meant to open the doorways between dimensions. So these monks made Dawn human and sent her to me as my sister, modifying our memories to believe Dawn was always there. I don't want to lose those memories. She's my sister I don't want to forget her."

Paige nodded. "Maybe it would be a good idea if you had someone here with you that you trust that would know if the spell we cast would do something like that."

"That's a good idea, Paige," agreed Phoebe. "How about that girl you mention, Willow. You said she was a witch, right?"

"Yeah," said Buffy as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed. "Hey Willow. Can I get you to do something for me? I need you to come back the Sunnydale Motor Lodge, room 19. I'll tell you when you get here."

Fifteen minutes a knock came at the door of the motel room. Buffy moved to open it and let Willow in. "So what did you need?" Willow asked before she noticed Billie, Phoebe and Paige. "Is this about?"

Buffy nodded. "About what I talked to you about."

"That reminds me," said Willow. "I found information on that last person you asked about."

"Go ahead," said Buffy. She wanted them to know she had them checked out.

"The half-sister is named Paige Matthews. She was adopted by the Matthews family not long after she was born," said Willow. "She went to the University of San Francisco and got a degree in social work. Went to work straight out of college at South Bay Social Services. About four years ago she found her birth family, or what remained of it by that time as her birth mother Patricia Halliwell had died a year after she was born. Her birth grandmother, Penelope Halliwell died a little over eight years ago. And of course her eldest half-sister Prue Halliwell died shortly before she found her birth family. Around three years ago she quit working at South Bay Social Services and a few months later started working temp jobs. She recently married Henry Mitchell a parole officer in San Francisco."

"You had us checked out?" asked Paige.

"Yes, I did. I didn't know who any of you are. You came out of nowhere telling me I might be this Christy," said Buffy.

"We ran a check on Christy first," said Willow. "I think that is what might have convinced Buffy of what you said. There is a picture of Christy that is identical to Buffy at that age. Then there was a computer generated aged image of Christy, what she would look like today in the San Diego police file. That image looked like Buffy today."

"Wow," said Billie. "You must have a way with computers."

Willow blushed. "Will has more than just a way with computers," said Buffy. "She's our resident computer expert. If you need something hacked, Will is the person to do it. She was even approached while still in High School by some bigwig computer company."

"Wow," said Phoebe.

"Buffy, what did you need? I assume there was a reason were meeting here instead of the house," said Willow.

"I need you to look over a spell," said Buffy.

"Uh …" said Willow.

"I know," said Buffy. "Don't worry you won't be casting it. You just need to look over it and make sure it does what they say it will do."

"Okay," said Willow. "Can I see the spell?" Phoebe handed her the paper with the spell written on it. She read over it and nodded. "It looks like it should work if you are indeed Christy."

"What about my memories of Dawn?" asked Buffy.

"The only one I could see that would be in jeopardy would be the ones before age seven," said Willow. "Since that was when Christy was taken. I think the monks spell will hold the rest of them in place. I don't think this spell will reverse theirs."

"Okay," said Buffy. "I guess I'm ready then.

Willow nodded as she handed the piece of paper back to Phoebe and Paige as Buffy closed her eyes. "Moments lost make witches wonder. Warlock's plot or demon's plunder. If this is not a prank help Christy to fill in the blanks," Paige and Phoebe chanted as Willow watched them. Or more in particular their aura and smiled.

Willow could tell that Phoebe and Paige were definitely good witches. Their aura's were brighter than any she had ever seen for a witch even her own and Tara's.

Buffy gasped as long forgotten memories surged into her conscious mind. Willow watched her friend absorb the memories.

"Christy?" asked Billie.

Buffy's eyes opened and looked toward Billie and then looked at Willow. "Will?"

"I'm certain they didn't implant any memories that you did not already possess," said Willow. "I watched their aura and there was nothing evil about it at any time they cast that spell. What do you remember?"

"I can still remember Mom bringing home Dawn," said Buffy. "But it's weird. I can also now remember tormenting Billie."

"So you are Christy?" Billie asked hopefully.

"Yes," said Buffy, "baby sis. Of course you're no longer the baby sister."

"That's right," said Willow. "Because Dawn was made from you that would mean she shares the same blood and DNA as your birth sister."

"I got a question, Christy," said Billie. "Are you the Slayer?"

"Yes," said Buffy as she remembered the last time she had seen Billie. It been after she had been abducted moments before her memory of being Christy had disappeared. "You came to me just before they took my memory away. That's how you know who I am."

"Yes," said Billie as she handed Buffy the necklace she had used to scry for her. "And you said that the men who took you said something about the Slayer."

Buffy looked at the necklace in her hand and nodded. "And then you disappeared and I was left alone and then they came in and cast their spell and then I remembered nothing of being Christy till now," she said.


	4. Chapter 3: Empty Places Pt 3

**Chapter 3: Empty Places Pt 3**

The school was lonely, dark, and deep.

Buffy's face was prickling, emotions churning, as she sat at her desk. She was trying to piece together her new memories and where they fit in to her life. She was sure Willow had been right that the memories had not been planted but were in reality hers. Still she questioned them. Where in her life would Billie a role? How would Dawn react to the fact she had not one but two older sisters. And then there was the biggy, she was a witch. She had watched Willow go down that path and it frightened her. She did not want to get addicted on the magicks like her best friend had.

It was all too much, just too much … and then a voice drawled. "Ah, now, look. Things don't go exactly your way, so here come the waterworks."

Buffy knew that voice. Hated it with every fiber of her being …

"Ain't that just like a woman?" Caleb drawled.

Buffy stood, livid, ready to kill … and terrified.

"Get out of her," she ordered.

He laughed and shook a finger at her. "Now, now little girl. Manners. Though I do imagine that firebrand tongue of yours has inflamed many a man. Weak as they are."

He moved toward her desk as if he had no worried and plenty of time. Glancing around, he ventured. "This here's a public school, ain't it? Kind of deserted." He shrugged. "That's only just, I suppose. Folks work so hard at keeping the Lord out, and look what happens in return. God abandons you."

He grinned. "Not that He could do much good now, anyway."

As Buffy slowly, stealthily reached for her desk drawer, he shook his head playful, warning gestured. "Ah-ah, I wouldn't were I you, sweet pea. Fighting back didn't do you much good last time, did it?"

He grinned and moved closer to her. "And how is poor, sweet Xander. Let him know he's in my prayers. And any time he's willing …" He wriggled his thumb, and they both knew what that meant.

"… I'm ready to finish the job. Or how about that sweet little sister of yours. What was her name? Billie wasn't it. You can tell her and Dawn both that I will be coming for both of them soon."

"You get near Xander or even Dawn and Billie, I will end you," said Buffy.

Then Caleb suddenly, violently shoved Buffy's desk, tipping it on its side and out of the way. There was nothing standing between them now.

Buffy kicked at his ankles, but he easily stepped aside; then he grabbed her and dragged her up until she dangled of the ground, eye-to-eye with him.

"I'm going to find such sweet pleasure in taming you and them," he said.

Without a moment's hesitation, he tossed her through the window. She slammed against the opposite wall in the hallways outside, her momentum putting a huge hole in it as she crumpled, unconscious, to the floor.

Across town at the Sunnydale Motor Lodge in room 19. It had been two hours since Buffy and Willow left. Buffy had told them she had to go to the school to pick up some things she had left there. Willow had said she needed to return to the hospital as Xander was going to possibly check out later.

Suddenly Paige heard a ringing in her ears. The kind of ringing she associated with Billie when she called for her. "Billie," she asked as she looked at her charge. "Why are you calling for me? I'm right here."

"I'm not," said Billie.

Paige tried to sense who was jingling and could tell it was not Billie as she first thought. That must have meant she had gotten a new charge. But who? Then her mind put two and two together. Leo when he had still been a Whitelighter had all the Charmed Ones as his charge. So what if all the Jenkins sisters were the same way? "I think I know who is jingling," said Paige. "Your sister."

Billie and Phoebe both took Paige's hands as they said, "Orb." And Paige orbed out and into the Sunnydale High School. They patrolled the halls and came upon Buffy still unconscious lying on the floor. They looked at the dent in the wall and knew something bad had gone down here.

"Heal her," said Billie as Paige nodded.

Paige knelt beside Buffy and held out her hands as she healed Buffy.

"What happened?" asked Billie as Buffy woke up.

"Caleb," said Buffy. "He's working for this big bad we're dealing with. How did you guys know I was in trouble?"

"It seems Paige is your Whitelighter," answered Phoebe.

"What's a Whitelighter?" asked Buffy.

"A Whitelighter is someone who guides good witches and future Whitelighters and protects and nurtures them for their intended destiny," said Paige. "You are a good witch. Only good witches get Whitelighters."

"Billie you said that earlier that I was a witch, that was why I didn't freeze." said Buffy as she remembered again how the magic had affected Willow.

"Yes," said Billie. "It's in the blood. Our grandmother was a witch and so are we."

"Wow," said Buffy as they walked back into Buffy's destroyed office and proceeded to box everything up. "So that means Dawn and I likely have powers like you do."

"Yes," said Billie. "We'll have to try and figure out what power you have later."

"If only good witches get Whitelighters," said Buffy. "How come Willow doesn't have one?"

"It could be because she is a Progenitor," said Phoebe. "I don't know to tell the truth how Whitelighter charges are assigned."

"Neither do I," said Paige. "I didn't even know you were my charge till you called for me. Apparently subconsciously."

Buffy had led Billie, Paige and Phoebe toward her home. Paige had offered to orb them, but Buffy had wanted more time to think about everything. They staged into the house as Buffy called out. "Guys? How's it –"

And there was Giles at the dining room table, astonished at her as well as Billie, Paige and Phoebe's appearance. He came to her saying. ""Are you alright, Buffy?"

"Caleb," Buffy brushed him off. "Came looking for seconds."

"Good lord," Giles gasped. "Is he ...?"

"Still able to make me see little cartoon birdies all around my head?" she cut in. "You betcha." She, Billie, Paige and Phoebe sat down. "The short lack of consciousness was nice, though. I feel rested."

Giles sat again, facing them, and they shared an awkwardly silent moment. Buffy made the first move, trying to get past it. "Giles I have to ask you something. Do you know anything about…?"

"Christy Jenkins," said Giles as he looked toward the other women at the table. Willow had called him and told him about everything that had happened. "Yes. I was not part of the team that took you. I did not know till I became your Watcher. And even then the Council only suspected you might be her. What I was told was they took you from your family because they had identified you as a Potential. But your family did not want to let you go to be trained. So the Council snuck into your house after everyone had gone to sleep through the bedroom window and they took you. They stayed over in Los Angeles where they intended to perform a memory spell that would hide the memories of your family. They cast the spell and took your memories of being Christy away from you. What you did next surprised them to say the least. You exhibited a form of pyrokinesis. The Council operatives barely got out alive. They thought at the time you had died in the fire that consumed the safe house."

"Wow," said Buffy.

"What happened after that I don't know," said Giles. "The Council only had theories on your survival. With your memories blocked you more or less had a case of amnesia. You probably wondered around Los Angeles till someone found you and then you wound up in foster care and eventually adopted by your parents, by Joyce."

"I don't remember anything after the spell," said Buffy. "I'm thinking the Monks when they integrated Dawn in to my memories made a crucial error. I remember mom bringing Dawn home from the hospital and that was when I was six years old. Which would have been a whole year before I was abducted, they must not have known that I was adopted. "

"I wonder how come your mom didn't tell you, that you were adopted," said Billie.

"Well before the monks spell she probably thought that Buffy knew," said Giles. "Buffy should have remembered something like that as it would have been a major event in her life. After the monks spell she like you Buffy, probably remembered what you just said. Which means she likely didn't remember adopting you."

"And we'll never know for sure if I knew before the monks spell," said Buffy as she looked at Billie, Phoebe and Paige. "The memories with Dawn are flawless. We have no way of knowing what's real and what's not. What was changed to introduce her into my life." She decided for now this was more information she needed to process. So she changed the topic. "So how'd the police files work out? Was there anything helpful in there?"

"Oh, yes, very much so, I think," Giles told her. "Evidence that Caleb may have made inroads up north."

"Really?" Buffy asked, smiling excitedly. "That's ... that's great. That could help us a lot! Good job!"

"I sent Spike to look into it," Giles added, and then … oops.

"Oh," Buffy said tersely.

"Spike?" Billie asked.

"Vampire," said Giles. "Supposedly with a soul."

"So, is this a mission from which you intend Spike to return alive?" Buffy asked.

"Yes," he said firmly. "I sent Andrew with him."

Buffy took that in. Then she deadpanned, "And, again, I ask the question ..."

"Buffy," he said reasonably, "you weren't here. Some decisions must be made in your absence."

"Well, those are the ones that've been scaring me," she retorted.

He raised his chin, not backing down, and told her, "I did what I thought was right."

She narrowed her eyes, not happy, and gave it right back, "You sent away the guy who's been watching my back. Again. I think –"

Phoebe, Billie and Paige looked at each other. They were going to need to hear the full story.

"We are all watching your back," Giles countered.

"Yeah. Funny how I don't really feel that lately." Buffy bit of every word as she stood and moved toward the stairs. She was tired, and angry, and hurt.

"Christy!" said Billie as Buffy looked to her and nodded.

"Where's everyone else?" Buffy asked as she looked at Giles. "Faith, Dawn, the girls ... where'd everyone go?"

"Faith thought the girls needed some time away from their studies," Giles told her. "A chance to relax for an hour or two, I thought, given everything I learned from our time …"

He capitulated under Buffy's intense, questioning scrutiny. "She took them to The Bronze."

She stared as him as though she couldn't quite believe it. Then she nodded, turned to the front door, and left.

Billie looked to Phoebe and Paige and who nodded as Billie got up and followed her sister out the door.

Phoebe and Paige turned to face Giles. I think we need to know what's going on all of it. If were going to help?

"And why would you help us?" asked Giles.

"Have you ever heard of the Charmed Ones?" asked Paige.

"There is a prophecy that mentions a trio of extremely powerful witches," said Giles. "That were to be known as the Charmed Ones. Why do you ask?"

"You're looking at them," said Phoebe. "Well two of the three. The third should be returning to San Francisco right about now. And is just an orb away."


	5. Chapter 4: Empty Places Pt 4

**Chapter 4: Empty Places Pt 4**

The cops beat Faith with their clubs. She was on the ground, taking it. The she shot out a leg, swiping one of her assailants off his feet. She jumped up, ramming her knee hard into the face of another one. A third rushed her; she spun and slammed him against the alley wall.

Then she faced the leader again aware that The First cop had gotten to his feet and was behind her. Without even looking at him, she made a fist and smashed in the face. He was down, round two, and she circled the leader, getting ready to rumble.

And they pounced, totally going at it, all scrappy and brutal. Dirty cops and dirtier fighting; Faith was into it—head slams to the cement, gut punches, no holds barred. The battle took them to center of the club as Amanda and Kenned rushed outside and hauled the two cops off Faith. It was a total melee.

And of course Faith was wining.

Jerks couldn't hand that; three of them grabbed her from behind and peeled her off their buddy.

Faith, bloodied but far from beaten, watched as the leader rushed to help the guys being attacked by her girls, Amanda and Kennedy. She smiled, got to her feet, and kicked him as hard in the head she could.

Kennedy kneed her boy in the stomach, grabbed his club from his hand, and whacked him over the head.

Amanda shoved her cop backward into a small stack of crates. She towered over him, landing a foot on his chest, and, grinning like and Amazon, dropped another crate on his face.

"That was kinda cool," she exulted.

Then Faith slammed the leader back, whipped around, and punched the very last man standing in the head. She was on the leader, in his face, grinning at him. She pressed his club into his neck.

"You know, when you've been locked up in prison for three years, you end up forgetting how good some things feel, till you get out.

As he found his fear gene, she drawled, "Then it all comes rushing back."

"Faith," Kennedy warned, afraid she was going too far.

"Don't worry," Faith told her. "I'm not going to hurt him."

She dropped the club, grabbed the dirtbag's head, and slammed it into the wall. As he slumped to the ground, she said cheerfully, "I'm sorry. Did that hurt?"

"Faith?" It was Buffy, arriving just after the nick, as more girls spilled out of the Bronze and Faith was adjusting her clothes.

"What are you doing?" Buffy asked, all schoolteacher. Pissed-off schoolteacher.

"Just blowing off steam," Faith said easily as Billie came up beside Buffy. "Well, it started out that way."

Buffy and Faith traded looks—pow, ka-pow!—and then Buffy said, "Girls. Go home. I wanna talk to Faith for a minute."

"Buffy," Dawn said, stepping forward to explain. "We were –" said Dawn.

"Billie would you take your little sister home for me," said Buffy.

_Little sister, w_ondered Dawn. _What does she mean?_

"Come on Dawn," said Billie as she and Dawn walked away from Buffy and Faith.

Dawn sighed. ~ Sometimes I really hate that she treats me like a kid. I'm 16 for crying out loud. And who is this supposed new sister? ~

Billie stopped and looked at Dawn.

"What?" Dawn asked.

"I think I just found out what your power is," said Billie.

"What do you mean?" asked Dawn as she looked quizzically at the blonde.

Billie smiled. "You're a telepath. You just projected your thoughts to me. You hate how she treats you like a kid. You're 16 for crying out loud and you wonder who I am. I'll explain on the way."

"So I have this power?" asked Dawn. "Cool, and not so cool. How do I make it so I don't do that again?"

"It'll take practice," said Billie as they resumed walking. "I will help you to learn to control it. But first let's start off with introductions. My name is Billie Jenkins."

"Dawn … Dawn Summers. Are you a Potential?"

"No," said Billie, "I'm a witch."

"A witch?" asked Dawn who was skeptical.

Billie smiled as she telekinetically lifted Dawn a foot off the ground and then lowered her safely back. "Yes a witch," said Billie. "That's not all though. I'm also your sister. Fifteen years ago my sister, Christy was abducted in the night by the Watcher's Council."

"Travers," grumbled Dawn.

"Maybe, we don't know who ordered her taken," said Billie. "But your friend, Mr. Giles, did tell us it was them. They took Christy because she was a Potential Slayer. They stopped over in Los Angeles and cast a memory spell blocking her memories of her life before she was taken."

"So what does this have to do with me being your sister?" asked Dawn. "I … I didn't exist before two and a half years ago."

"I'm getting to that," said Billie. "About a week ago I learned to control a new power I had received, called Projection. Using it I was able to project myself back in time to just after Christy was taken. While I was not able to rescue Christy at that point. I did come back with a means to find her, a necklace our mother had given her for her birthday shortly before she was taken. Using that I scryed for Christy's location."

"Scry?" asked Dawn.

"It's a spell that can tell you something's location. You need a personal object from that person generally to make it work," said Billie. "When I scryed for Christy it led me to Sunnydale. I along with some friends drove down intending to get a map of the town and scry for Christy's exact location. Once here I scryed once again and got a location of not more than a block down the road. Me and my friends looked down in that direction and spotted your sister coming in our direction."

"You're thinking Buffy is this Christy?" asked Dawn. "But that's not possible. Buffy is mom's daughter. She would know if she had been adopted."

"True." Billie nodded. "But there was a hiccup that made her forget. Can you think of what it was? It happened two and a half years ago."

Dawn's eyes went wide with the revelation. "The monks spell that created memories of me erased the fact that Buffy might have been adopted. They had given Buffy a memory of when I was brought home from the hospital which was sixteen years ago."

"Exactly," said Billie. "She didn't know that she had been adopted because the monks hadn't known. They thought she was her mother's biological daughter and so they unknowingly overwrote her memory of being adopted."

"But," said Dawn. "Even if that is true. How did Buffy know she was your sister?"

"We approached her and told her who we were looking for. My friend Piper, who is also a witch that can freeze time, froze the street. Only Buffy, myself, Piper and Phoebe remained unfrozen. Meaning that Buffy was a good witch. Only good witches don't freeze. Then I showed her the necklace I brought back. She confirmed that she had dreamt of that necklace before. She needed to think about everything we had told her and left to visit your friend Willow and Xander at the hospital."

Dawn could surmise what would happen next. She knew her sister well enough that she would have these people checked out. "She then had Willow check you all out."

"Yes," said Billie. "She also had Christy checked out. Your friend Willow said she had found two images of Christy. One from when she was taken. And one that was a computer approximation of what Christy would look like today. Your friend Willow said the one of Christy taken fifteen years ago matched what your sister looked like at that age. As did the computer approximation of what Christy would look like today. Your sister then left the hospital and went home to think some more. She came to a decision and came to find us."

"So she didn't go to the school like she said she was?" asked Dawn.

"She did eventually go to the school. But she came to see us first. We had a spell written to return Christy's memories to her. She was skeptical that the spell would cause her to forget you. So she called your friend Willow who came and looked over the spell and said it was alright. So my friends Phoebe and Paige cast the spell unlocking Christy's memories."

"Wow," said Dawn. "So how does that make you my sister?"

"You were created from Buffy to be her sister, right?" Billie asked as Dawn nodded. "That means you share DNA with me. Which means you two are my sister."

"Wow," was all Dawn could say. It was a lot to take in. When they got to the house she went up to her room to sort out what she had learned.

Billie found Piper, Phoebe and Paige looking over the Book of Shadows in one of the bedrooms. "What do we know?"

"Nothing," said Piper as she closed the Book. "The First Evil is not in here. Though I have to wonder though if it is not in some way related to the Source."

"The Source?" Billie asked.

"Bad ass demon," said Paige. "The one that the possessor demon that had possessed Wyatt's room mother, Mandy, had tried to resurrect."

"The one you three vanquished over three years ago," said Billie as the sisters nodded.

They heard the door downstairs slam shut and someone walking up the stairs and then enter the room. They turned around to face Buffy. "Hey," she said. "Didn't know you guys were in here. I guess it's probably time to fill you guys in on everything."

Buffy proceeded to tell the sisters and Billie everything from the moment she became the Slayer to dying at the hands of the Master. To almost dying at the hands of Adam. To dying so Dawn could live and finally to where they were at now facing the First Evil.

The sisters listened to what Buffy had to say. They had already learned one side of the story from Mr. Giles. Including the fact that Buffy had fallen in love with one vampire. And had a destructive relationship with another. Who had eventually raped her.

Phoebe sighed when Buffy was finished. "Buffy I have to ask. Why is it you let Spike stay around?"

"Physically he is the only person beside myself that can take the Ubervamps on," said Buffy.

"Why would you let him remain in your home though? Close to teenage girls. Teenage girls he could do the same to the same thing to?" asked Piper.

"Did Giles put you up to this?" asked Buffy. "Is this another attempt of his to get rid of Spike?"

"No," said Phoebe. "I know what you've been through. Loving someone evil is fun for a while. Eventually it leads to heartache. I fell in love and briefly married a demon."

"Eew," said Buffy. "You actually married a scaly demon?"

"No," said Phoebe. "There are several levels of demons in the Underworld. Upper level demons have a human form. They can blend in. You have fought the lower level demons."

"Oh," said Buffy.

"Anyways," said Phoebe. "Having Spike around is not doing you any good."

"I understand where you are going," said Buffy. "First Spike and I are not together like that. Second he has a soul now. Third Spike has been around for months now and has not harmed a single girl in this house. Fourth Spike is as strong as a Slayer and other than myself, and now Faith, has been the only one protecting these girls."


	6. Chapter 5: Empty Places Pt 5

**Chapter 5: Empty Places Pt 5**

Trailing after Willow and Anya, Xander entered the Summers' home. In the living room, about thirty people stared back at him as he caught sight of a hastily-made welcome-home banner draped across the living room. Not in yellow crayon, but he understood the sentiment. Though not loving the spotlight, he was touched.

Dawn rushed forward and gave Xander a huge hug. Then Faith came in, too, and Wood.

"We didn't have time to do more," Kennedy told Xander. "You have to pretend there's a big party here."

"That's fine, actually," Xander quipped. "Parties in this house... I usually end up having to re-build something."

Paige laughed. "Sound like home," she said as everyone looked at her. "Every time a demon attacked at the manor something always needs to be repaired or replaced."

In the time between Buffy finishing her story, and when Xander walked in. Buffy had introduce Billie, Piper, Phoebe and Paige to the Potentials.

Amanda smiled at Xander. "I was thinking of smashing a window just to make you feel at home, but then I thought, you know. No. Also, Dawn wouldn't let me."

Xander smiled and opened his mouth to speak, but Buffy beat him to the punch, saying, "Welcome home, Xand," as she came down the stairs. She was friendly, but more business than happiness, and she continued on, saying, "I wanted you to be here for this, I think you're gonna be interested in what I found out."

This was news to Willow. She checked Giles out. He, too, looked confused and out of the loop-y.

"What's ... what did you find out?" asked Willow.

"It's about the wine cellar," said Buffy.

_Uh-oh._

Willow looked up, caught Dawn looking back. They exchanged a look, both concerned about where this was going …

"I know that night was difficult," Buffy said. "For all of us. But I've figured out some things about the place, and I realize now what we have to do." She looked around at the group, taking a moment. Then she said, "We're going back in. Listen, I know what you're thinking, scary place where good guys go boom, I get it. I do. But I had a little visit today at the school from Caleb."

"Buffy are you –" said Dawn suddenly concerned for her sister.

"I'm fine," Buffy said. "I mean, it wasn't fun, but I'm fine. I'm better than fine. I figured it out. He kept making all this noise about the school."

Wood asked, "Is it the Seal again?"

"Do we need to try shutting it again?" asked Willow.

"Andrew's got plenty of tears left in him," Anya drawled. "Just tell him they canceled Stargate."

"No," Buffy said emphatically. "That's just it. We've spent so much time being worried about the Hellmouth and the Seal ... why isn't Caleb guarding them? Why doesn't he have someone there protecting it?"

No one answered.

Buffy pushed her case. "Why is he camped out at the vineyard? The bad guys always go where the power is." She gazed around the room for agreement, but everyone including Piper, Phoebe, Paige and even Billie were still just listening. "If the Seal was so important to Caleb and The First, they'd be there right now. They're trying to shake us off the trail, it's a mislead. They're protecting the vineyard. They're protecting something at the vineyard. I say it's their power. "

Buffy waited. Still no one spoke, so she added. "And I say it's time we go take it away from them."

Not a single person moved. No one spoke … until from behind Buffy, Faith drawled, "Or, in the alternative, how about we ... don't."

Buffy whirled around, looking at Faith in surprise.

"It's a neat theory, B. But I'm not going back in that place. Not without proof," Faith told Buffy. "And neither should you."

She gestured to the Potentials. "And neither should they."

Buffy took a couple steps back in her ton of command. "I'm not saying it'll be easy …"

Billie looked to Paige and leaned in to whisper in Paige's ear. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," whispered Paige. She had heard both sides of the story from both Giles and Buffy. Still she was not sure what was going on. "I'm kinda torn between being Buffy's Whitelighter and being a witch you know. The Whitelighter would be siding with her if she was sure this was the way to go. The witch well is saying let's take this slow, see what were up against before we head into a place where they got thrashed once before."

"Buffy, listen to what she's saying," Wood said.

Buffy looked at him, stung.

"Maybe it'll end okay, the way you wanna play it," Faith said. "But maybe it won't. And right now ... right now I don't think I want you playing the odds. Not with my coin."

"I'm not just guessing about this," said Buffy.

"Listen. We're fighters. All of us. But you gotta give me something to fight. Something real. Not ..." Faith trailed off, looking for a word.

Giles supplied it:

"Windmills," he said quietly.

"_There is something there_," Buffy bit off.

"Maybe. But we don't know that for sure. You're asking a hell of a lot," Giles told Buffy, gazing at her. His gaze was firm, mingled perhaps with some sorrow. But he was going to stand his ground. It was evident in his manner, and his tone.

"You're waiting for some kind of mystical sign to show up and tell us it's the right time, that sort of thing almost never happens, least, not for us. We need to strike now," said Buffy.

"And I think whatever is there, if anything is there, will still be there in a few days," said Giles.

"I don't know that. We don't know that. What if we let it go and we lose our chance? I'm not prepared to live with that," said Buffy.

"Christy," said Billie as Buffy glared at her as if to say don't side with them, please.

"And if we rush in now, before we're ready, and more people get hurt, are you prepared to live with that?" said Wood as Buffy turned to him, annoyed. "You need to consider this."

"I don't understand," Buffy said. "Seven years I've kept us safe by doing this, exactly this, making the hard decisions." She looked around the room. "Suddenly you're all acting like you don't trust me." She glanced at Billie again.

"But didn't you just tell me today that you don't feel like you can trust us?" Giles asked Buffy. "Maybe there's something going on that we need to address."

"Is this why you sent Spike away?" Buffy half-shouted at Giles. "To ambush me?"

Rona said quietly. "Look around you, this isn't about Spike. This is about you. You're being reckless."

Billie looked to Dawn and leaned to whisper into her ear. "What is going on?"

Dawn looked at Billie and shook her head, but otherwise didn't say anything in response to Billie's question.

Buffy stared at Rona. "What?"

Rona began to find her voice. A lot of anger had been smoldering, and it began to come out. "You are. I don't even know you, and I can tell. You're so obsessed with beating this guy that you're willing to jump into any plan without thinking."

"That's not what I'm doing!" Buffy protested.

Paige sighed, "Speaking as a witch, not as your Whitelighter. They are correct, Buffy. You need a strategy. You told me, Billie, Piper and Phoebe just an hour ago that you went up against this guy and got seriously hurt, some of your girls here even died. And your friend Xander lost an eye. Which by the way Xander see me later I might be able to fix that. Anyways Buffy you need to find out what his weakness is before you attack again."

Kennedy jumped up and moved toward Buffy. "Well, that's how it feels to us! People are dying! _We_ are dying."

Billie got between them, acting as a barrier between her sister and Kennedy. "Back off, stop it," she said and Buffy was grateful for the support.

"Kennedy," Willow warned her as she stepped next to Billie.

"Why are you always standing up for her?" Kennedy demanded of Willow.

"I'm not," Willow said softly. She said to Buffy," Everything that's happened … I'm worried about your judgment. Once you've had some rest, I think you'll be able to –"

"I don't need rest! Willow, I'm fine. I'm ... I'm fine," said Buffy as Willow backed down, clearly not convinced. "And I don't recall any of you complaining about the way we did things when we were winning."

"Christy," whispered Billie.

"Buffy, the rules have changed. And I'm not sure doing things the old way will help you here," said Giles.

"The old way. You mean by leading," said Buffy.

"No, that's not it at all, it's just –" said Willow.

"Look, I wish this could be a democracy. I really do. It would be fairer, I agree. But democracies don't win battles. It's a hard truth, but there has to be a single voice. You need me to issue orders and be reckless sometimes and not take your feelings into account," said Buffy as she looked around again at all the faces. "You need someone to lead you."

"And it's automatically you," Anya was hostile. "You really do think you're better than we are."

"No," Buffy insisted. "I –"

"You do. Of course you do. That's why it's your voice leading us," said Anya.

"Look –" said Buffy.

"But we don't know, do we? We'll never know. That you're actually better. You came into the world with certain advantages, sure, that's the legacy," said Anya. "But you didn't earn them. You didn't work for them. You never had someone come to you and say, Here, you deserve these more than anyone else. They were just ... handed to you. And that doesn't make you better than us. It makes you luckier than us."

"I've gotten you this far," said Buffy.

"Not without a price," Xander cut in.

Billie looked around at everyone, even Piper, Phoebe and Paige. She couldn't believe how everyone was turning against Buffy.

"Xander..." said Buffy wounded.

"We follow you without question. Even when you have no idea what you're doing. Even when you get mad at us for not working hard enough at a plan which doesn't exist, because you don't know what you're doing. We keep following you, even then. And we keep paying the price," said Xander.

"Xander. I've paid the price, too, sometimes," said Buffy.

"So how high does the price have to go before you start saying your way isn't right?" asked Giles.

"I still think attacking Caleb's power base could end this –" said Buffy.

Giles nodded. "Yes. You, think. But when you act alone –"

"Is that really something you want to get into? Because we can talk about Spike, or Ben," said Buffy.

"If I acted rashly, it was to protect you. Were you trying to protect Annabelle? Or Chloe?" said Giles.

"Stop it," said Billie, who had pretty much had it..

"Or Molly? Or Xander? And it goes even further back than that, doesn't it?" said Giles ignoring Billie.

"Mr. Giles," said Billie warned.

"You act alone, and people get hurt, right?" asked Giles ignoring Billie. "People like Jenny."

"Stop!" shouted Buffy as she swept a vase off the end table and it smashed to the floor.

"Do you see? You are not in the best place you have ever been. You're too raw. You need to take a break," said Giles.

"I am still responsible for this group. I am still in charge here," said Buffy.

"And why is that, exactly?" Rona charged.

"Because I'm the Slayer," Buffy shot back.

"And isn't Faith a Slayer, too?"

Everyone turned to Faith, who started and said, "Ka-wha? Whoa, whoa, whoa, _so_ not what I meant. I'm not the in-charge chick. I just think B here needs to chill out for a bit, take a siesta maybe, but I'm not the one you want."

They kept looking at her.

"Maybe we need a vote," Kennedy announced. "To see who wants Faith to have a turn in charge."

"Look, you don't wanna do this," said Billie in defense of her sister.

"No," Buffy said. "You don't get to vote until I've had time to get everybody drunk and pal around a bunch! See, I didn't get this was a popularity contest. I think I should have equal time to bake them cookies, braid their hair …"

"… learn their names," Faith said.

Buffy was seething. "Oh, you're just loving this, aren't you!"

"You have no idea what I'm feeling!" Faith blasted her.

Buffy gestured expansively around herself. She was exhausted, and angry, and aware she was in a battle for lives. Lots of lives.

"Come in and just take everything I have! You've tried that before." Buffy glared at Faith, who had tried to kill her mother and sister, and slept with her boyfriend, nearly murdered Angel, and fought her, Buffy to the death. "You tell them about that? Tell them how you used to kill people for fun? Did they think that was nifty?"

"Buffy, that's enough!" Giles thundered.

Faith got right up close. "I didn't come here to take anything away from you, but I'm not going to be your little lap dog, either. I came here to beat the other guy. To do right, however it works. I don't know if I can lead, but the real question is … can you follow?

"So we vote," Wood said.

"Wait. Just … guys … tell them this is a mistake." Buffy pleaded. She looked to Willow, Xander … neither of whom could meet her gaze. "Guys? I don't ... this isn't happening."

"You need to rest," said Willow. "You've had a lot of things going on. Then the biggest bombshell of your life gets dropped into your lap." She looked to Billie. "You find out you were kidnapped, your memories blocked that you're not in reality your mother's daughter, that you were adopted. You should rest, Buffy. And maybe we should let someone else take the wheel until you do."

"Maybe it's not such a terrible idea, letting Faith handle things. Letting her be the Slayer," said Xander.

Faith is shocked–she didn't want this as Buffy stared at Willow and Xander. "Guys," said Buffy. "We have a chance to end this. All of us. I can't just stay here and watch Faith lead you off into some disaster."

Dawn came to her sister then, and tenderly kissed her on the cheek. Her eyes filled as she said brokenly. "Then you can't stay here."

Everyone was stunned.

"Look, I love you," Dawn said crying. "But you can't be a part of this. You can't be here. I don't think ... I don't think you can face this at all. This one you have to sit out. I'm sorry. It's my house, too. Either you let Faith handle things ... or you have to leave."

Buffy looked at her sister shocked to what had just happened. And then she turned and walked out the front door.

Billie turned and ran out the door just behind Faith. "Christy!"

"Look, I swear I didn't want it to go this way," Faith said.

"Don't," Buffy said shortly.

"I mean it," Faith pressed, "I'm …"

And then Faith shut her mouth, because she like Billie had realized that Buffy was trying not to cry.

"Don't be afraid … to lead them," Buffy said in a mangled voice. "Whether you wanted it or not, their lives are yours. It's going to get harder Protect them. But … _lead_ them." She looked to Billie and gave her a sad smiled. "Take care of Dawn."

Faith gave Buffy a short nod, and headed back into the house.

Billie watched as Buffy walked into the darkness as anger built up inside of her. Anger at what had just happened. This was her sister and they had turned her back on her. She stomped back inside the house as she screamed at the top of her lungs. "EVERYONE EXCEPT DAWN, OUT! YOU ARE NOT WELCOME IN MY SISTER'S HOUSE."

Everyone looked at Billie shocked at what she was doing as Giles stepped up to her, "Billie, I understand you may feel betrayed right now."

"Your damn right I feel betrayed," said Billie remembering what Buffy had told her earlier.

"You don't know everything that is going on here," added Piper.

"I don't need to know everything, Piper. This is my sister who has put her life on the line for each and every one of them. Time after time," said Billie as she turned to look at Dawn and the Scoobies. "Dawn she gave her life for you, literally. And this is how you repay her? Mr. Giles you were supposed to be her Watcher, she has saved your life more than once. Willow after your girlfriend died, Christy was there alongside Xander and Dawn to comfort you. And this is the thanks she gets for all of that. From people she considered friends."

"If anyone deserves to be kicked out," said Billie, "it's all of you, not Christy. This is her home; she has lived in this house for the last seven years. She has had to watch her mother die, boyfriend after boyfriend leave her. She had to send her first boyfriend in Sunnydale to hell to save the world. She had to die literally to save the world. And this is how you treat her?"

"I am ashamed to know each and every one of you," said Billie.

"Billie," said Dawn as she looked to her sister. "First off this is my home, not yours. You don't have the right to throw them out. Second where are they going to go? Seriously where? The First Evil has a target painted on their backs. He's been killing them left and right."

"Dawn, I'm supposed to take care of you. Buffy wanted …" said Billie as tears came to her eyes.

"Legally you can't. While you are my sister, as I was made from Buffy's DNA which you share. Legally I am the daughter of Hank and Joyce Summers. If Buffy gives up her guardianship, I automatically go to Hank. You would have to fight for custody and it's doubtful you would win. Now that said there is two sides to every coin. Sit down and listen and you might find out why we all feel that Buffy needed to take a break."


	7. Chapter 6: Touched Pt 1

**Chapter 6: Touched Pt 1**

Hours had passed since Buffy left. Piper, Phoebe and Paige filled Billie on what Giles had told them. To say Billie was conflicted was an understatement. She wanted to side with her sister. But on the other hand she saw what they were saying. Buffy did need a break. The question was should she be taking it now?

"Okay, you guys, let's not freak out," Faith said.

Kennedy, scrappy as always, said, "I'm not. All I'm saying is that now that Buffy's not here, we finally have some say in how and when we lose our necks."

A ripple of fear went through the Potentials.

"Maybe you don't have to be so blunt about the losing of the necks …" Wood suggested to Kennedy.

Anya waved her hand. "Let the woman speak the truth. We're all on death's doorstep, repeatedly ringing the bell, like maniacal Girl Scouts intent on making quota."

"I'm thinking maybe not everyone should have a say here," Xander said to Anya who rolled her eyes at him.

Giles spoke up. "What we need to do is figure out how to have constructive dialogue without going completely mad …"

Amanda shly raised her hand. Do you know Parliamentary Procedure? Because that's a convient way of organizing verbal—"

Kennedy and Piper spoke at the same time, Kennedy arguing, "I just wonder if those of us who've here longer should have more of a say," at the same time Piper ventured, "Maybe if we break down into smaller groups, this wouldn't be so chaotic."

"I have to agree with Ms. Halli …" said Wood.

"Please if we do the Ms. Halliwell you will be getting me confused with Phoebe or even Paige," said Piper. "Even though Paige goes by her adopted name. I'm Piper."

"Your right," said Wood. "I have to agree with Piper. What do you think, Faith?"

"When I was involved with Model UN," Amanda continued. "We found Parliamentary Procedure to be a total life saver. For example, once when I was Uruguay …"

Giles caught Billie and Dawn's eyes, he saw the stricken look on their faces. As the debate continued around them, Giles said to Billie and Dawn, "She's going to be okay. It—it's all for the best."

"You," Dawn said wretchedly. "But then, why do I feel like this?"

Giles gave her a sympathetic hug—short, and mostly British, though tinged with some warmth.

"Everything's going to be all right," he promised.

"I hope so," said both Billie and Dawn who looked at each other. Neither of them truly believed it.

Since Billie's blow up, neither Billie nor Dawn had said much to each other. Dawn understood why Billie had felt that way she had, because she felt that way now. She felt like she had betrayed Buffy and by extension Billie.

Billie looked over at Paige who sat with her sisters. She had asked Paige to orb her to Buffy and Paige had ended up siding with everyone else saying that Buffy needed a break. So Billie was stuck at the Summers home listening to everyone argue over their next course of action.

"I hear what you're saying," Faith began, as Kennedy half-shouted, "Shouldn't we get down to business and start talking about our game plan? We don't have all the time in the world here. Or maybe we do … but that doesn't mean much anymore."

"You guys?" Willow called earnestly. "You guys? I think we're wasting our time arguing about how to argue."

Amanda tried again. "Why don't we—"

Rona glared at Amanda. "Girl, don't you mention Parliamentary Procedure again."

"I second that," Dawn said.

Faith was quiet, steady, and wrested back her leadership position. "Everyone listen to me," she said. "Chill."

They all looked to Faith. It was quiet. Her voice had calmed them.

"It's been a long night, and I don't know about you, but I'm wiped. Why don't we all catch some sleep and figure all this out in the morning?"

Kennedy was shocked. "Do we really have time to waste—"

"Look," said Piper. "We understand that you guys are stressed. But we have to keep calm. That's the only way we're going to get through this."

Faith looked around the group. "Can everyone handle that?"

"Yeah, yeah," Vi said. "We'll get some rest and tomorrow, this won't seem so—"

Suddenly the house pitched into darkness.

Vi screamed.

And it was knee-deep in the hoopla all over again, complete and total panic as the girls freaked out.

"Vi, be quiet!" Amanda shouted.

"What happened?" Vi asked.

"The lights went out?" Rona asked, all wise-ass.

"I'll get some …" Amanda said.

"Paige a little light, please," said Piper.

Paige threw up her hand and an orb of light sprang forth above their heads lighting the room.

"I'll check the fuse box," Kennedy said.

"Don't bother." Phoebe had moved to the window and was peering outside. "All the lights on the whole street is out."

"Which means?" Rona demanded.

Faith was grim. "That everyone from the power company had gotten the hell out of Sunnydale."

There was a moment of silence.

Then Vi said," I think I'm freaking out."

Faith proceeded to set up her command central in the basement and took the Potentials down in the basement along with Giles, Wood, Anya, Dawn, Piper, Phoebe and Willow. Paige and Billie were upstairs with Xander.

"So what do I have to do?" asked Xander. Paige had told him she had the ability to heal and she wanted to try and heal his eye.

"Nothing," said Billie. "Just sit back and relax and let Paige do all the work."

Xander nodded as he laid back in the chair as Paige held out her hands. "How long will it take. That is if it's going to work?"

"I don't know," said Paige. "I guess it depends on the severity of the wound. Which I am going to have to see.

Xander grimaced and nodded as he removed the eye-patch. Billie and Paige looked at it and then quickly turned away. It almost made them sick to their stomachs. Paige held out her hands over the empty eye-socket as they began to glow.

Billie watched with fascination as the eye began to grow itself out of the damaged socket. And before Xander or Billie knew what was happening he was looking out of not one eye but two. He smiled and hugged Paige, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," said Paige.

Xander sighed. "It's a shame we didn't have you a couple years ago when Buffy and Dawn's mom passed away."

Billie and Paige looked at each other. They had heard the story from both Giles and Buffy how Joyce Summers had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and died a couple months later from complications after surgery. "It's doesn't work that way," said Paige as she turned to look at Xander. "It generally has to be magic related. If I could heal everyone think about consequences."

Xander looked at Paige and then nodded. "I see your point. In more ways than one." He looked at Billie and sighed. He still believed Buffy had needed a break. But was Billie right? He had to agree that the whole situation could have been handled better.

They walked into the kitchen and down into the basement where Faith was still holding her meeting. "I'm saying," Faith said, "we think about getting us a Bringer and making it talk. Get some info on The First and Caleb that way."

"I'm on board," Dawn announced.

Wood wasn't so sure. "How do you think we should capture one?" he asked. "If they don't want to be found …"

"Okay," Kennedy interrupted, forcefully. She gestured with her hand as she spoke, glancing at the others in the eerie, flight light. "I'm not sure that this is such a good idea. Why try to get information when we already know about the Seal? Why don't we send a team to the high school, do some recon, and then—"

No," said Piper and Faith, closing the matter.

"Just like that," Kennedy said hotly. "You two are not even listening."

Willow put her hand on Kennedy's arm and murmured, "Sweetie, you're pushing too hard."

Kennedy shrugged her off as she glared at Faith and Piper. "I thought things would be different now, but you two keep shutting me down."

Faith dealt it right back, not skimping on the harsh. "Things are different. Because, now? I'm your boss. And Piper is my right hand. From what I've learned since she, her sisters and Billie arrived here. She and her sisters actually have more experience than anyone except maybe Giles over here when it comes to the supernatural. If she says no. I trust she knows what she is talking about. So back the hell off, Kennedy, and let us do our job. Alright?"

Sullenly, Kennedy gestured and said, "Aye aye, captain."

Faith turned to the others. "Okay. Let's get down to business."

Faith took several Potentials to find Bringer as Piper, Paige and Phoebe went back upstairs to check their Book of Shadows.

And then The First was there, with a little surprise; she was appearing to the sisters as Prue; their older sister who had died a shortly before they had learned about Paige.

"Hey guys," said Prue.

"Get out," Piper, Phoebe and Paige said harshly.

Prue chuckled. "Well, I think a 'hello' or 'nice to see you' might be a little more welcome. It's the end of humanity, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, not the end of courtesy."

"You're wasting your time," Piper informed her. "We know who you are. _What_ you are."

Prue gazed at them. "Nobody's explained to you how this works, have they?" She pace a little, as if searching how to put it. "You see, I am part of The First, as you all call it, but I'm also Prue Halliwell, your elder sister … daughter of Patricia Halliwell and Victor Bennett."

The sisters pulled in, not reacting … but still listening.

"Here," Prue offered. "I'll prove it to you. Ask me a question only I would know the answer to. Something like …" She thought a moment. "… what costume did I wear when we went back in time and met Charlotte Warren. Or what was my job when we went into the future? The future where you Piper had a daughter instead of two sons. And Phoebe killed a man and burned at the stake. A future where we had never met Paige. And I was a blonde."

Each of the sisters kept themselves cold, kept themselves distant. "We know what you're doing. It's not going to work." Phoebe shrugged. "But feel free to keep talking. Hell, we could listen to you yap all night."

Prue wagged a finger at Phoebe, giving her a parental frown. "Hey, hey, hey … language. Piper here is a leader now, alongside Faith. You keep throwing the 'H-E-double hockey sticks' around, pretty soon these girls are going to pick up on it. Then what?"

"You let me and Faith worry about the girls," Piper said icily.

"Of course. Of course." Prue added, giving the sisters a confidential smile. "You and Faith are doing a great job with them, by the way. Much better than Buffy ever did. You were smart to side with the rest of them and kick her out."

The sisters were taken aback. "That's not what happened … Buffy got them this far," said Paige. "She only need a break."

Prue scoffed. "Why are you protecting Billie's sister? You think she cares about you? She doesn't."

None of the sisters said a word.

"She nearly killed, Faith," Prue reminded them. It was one of the commonalities they had found between Buffy and Giles stories. " You think she won't do the same to you if given half the chance? All she needs is an excuse. Stay on guard, Piper, Phoebe, Paige. Buffy's dangerous. If you're not careful, she'll destroy you. I'm just saying."

And then Prue disappeared.


	8. Chapter 7: Touched Pt 2

**Chapter 7: Touched Pt 2**

Downstairs the kitchen glowed by hurricane lamps, casting campfire faces on Anya, Amanda, Billie, and a couple of the other girls as Dawn sat anxiously with them. She didn't what the others were doing to the Bringer down in the basement they had captured. She did know that he had to talk, no matter how much he didn't want to, because she knew how vicious Faith could be and she had seen firsthand what kind of a beating Principal Wood had given Spike. She was grateful to the monks who had created her for giving her happy family memories. But these were not going to be happy memories, ever. Dawn was not battle-hardened, no matter how battle-weary she was.

The sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs alerted her to the fact that the interrogation crew was on its way up. She steadied herself for news.

"Hey!" Dawn said to Giles as he walked into the kitchen. "So?"

"The Bringer's dumb," he replied, downcast.

Anya rolled her eyes. "And you were expecting, what? A Rhodes Scholar?"

"He means dumb as in mute," Billie replied. "Right?"

"Correct. Someone ripped out its tongue," Faith said.

"Oh, gross!" Amanda cried.

Xander moved to the counter as Piper, Phoebe and Paige walked into the kitchen. "Yeah that was totally gross."

"Hey," Dawn piped up," I've been reading this old Turkish spell book. There's an old conjuration that the ancient Turks used to communicate with the dying …"

Willow nodded thoughtfully. "Oh, yeah. I think I've read a translation of that."

"There's a translation?" Dawn cried. "Oh, great! I'm reading like two words of Turkish a night when I could be …" She took a deep breath as the others looked on, mildly amused. "Okay I'm over it."

Dawn looked at the group. "So the spell is for communicating with people who can't talk. Like when a person is dying and can't speak anymore, this spell would allow them to say their good-byes or, y'know gripe about how nobody ever came to visit." Then specifically to Willow, she asked, "Do you this'll help with Mr. No-Tongue?"

Willow considered. "It should work, yeah … if we transmute the Bringer's internal synapses into sound waves … yep, I think so. I'll just need to get together some ingredients."

"What do you need?" asked Paige. "I can orb back to San Francisco and get what you need from our supply. Assuming we have it?"

Willow smiled. "How about I just come with you."

"Sure," said Paige as she took Willow's hand and orbed them out.

"Well, all right, cool. While Willow and Paige are doing that, why don't the rest of –" Faith said.

"We're ba-ack!" Andrew sang from the foyer as the entry door slammed shut.

He and Spike appeared in the dining room. "Hey", Spike said by way of greeting.

Andrew was full of vinegar as he jabbered a mile a minute. "Hi, everybody. I missed you guys a lot. Sorry we took so long getting back from our mission-mission but we had to wait out the sun. Well, I think we had a very successful trip. We rode on Spike's 'hog,' which was very cool, and we played some amusing games, and oh, yeah, we've got some information—but do you know what? I really need to urinate."

With that, Andrew dashed off toward the bathroom.

"He's a breath of fresh air, isn't he?" Spike said archly. "Thank God I don't breathe. So, I think we got a lead." He looked around. "Where's Buffy?"

Dawn said neutrally," She's not here right now." She glanced at Billie who glared at her and she tried to telepathically project toward Billie. ~ I'm sorry, okay. ~

Billie nodded and smiled.

Spike took that in. "When's she get back?" Nobody spoke. "What, she finally ran off and joined the circus? Always thought she'd be genius at the old knife-throw …"

Then, sensing that no one else was moving with him to the land of whimsy, Spike demanded, "Where is she?"

"While you were gone," Billie said. "They kicked her out."

Spike paced, smiling strangely, and then faced them all. "You sad, sad, ungrateful _traitors_. Who do you think you are?"

"We're her friends. We only want—" Xander said.

"That's ballsy of you," Spike interrupted. "You're her friend and you betray her like this?"

Giles moved forward. "You don't understand."

"You know, think I do," Spike shot back. He sneered at Giles and said, "Rupert. You used to be the big man, didn't you? The teacher all full of wisdom. And now she's surpassed you, and you can't handle it."

Spike's seething gaze took them all in. "She's save your lives again and again," Spike said repeating almost word for word the exact same thing Billie had said just hours before. "And this is how you thank her? This is how—"

Faith stepped in front of Spike, cutting him off and said, "Hey, why don't you take it down a notch or two? The time for giving speeches is over, Bat-boy."

Spike took a step closer to Faith, pissed, threatening. "Is that right?"

"Yeah," Faith said, unafraid. "That's right. Save your lack of breath."

"All right," he drawled, and hauled off and punched Faith in the jaw. It caught her off-guard, even though it shouldn't have; she fell against the counter and the others backed away—if this had been a western, the piano player and the saloon girls would be cowering behind the bar.

As Faith touched her jaw, a smile spread over her face. "You're pretty sweet on her, aren't you?"

Using the kitchen counter as her leverage point, Faith kicked up both legs but never made contact. Everyone looked at Faith hanging in mid-air. Then Piper, Dawn and Phoebe looked to Billie who smiled as she telekinetically threw Faith back against the refrigerator.

"Come on," Billie said to Spike. "They don't know where she is. And I already gave them the speech that you were about to. I'm assuming you can track her scent?"

"Yeah," said Spike as he led Billie out the kitchen doorway.

An hour later Paige and Willow had returned with all the needed ingredients for the spell. Now in the basement Paige, Piper and Phoebe were preparing to start the Turkish spell for the dying.

The Bringer was sitting awkwardly on the floor, his arms above his head, wrists manacled in chains. Candles illuminated the room. Kennedy, Giles, Andrew, Willow and Xander stood watch slightly behind the sisters.

The sisters looked at each other. This would be the first time they cast something that was not in English. They looked at the book as they began to chant in Turkish. "_You are getting very sleep. Very, very sleepy. Speak to us."_

They closed the book, waited; nothing happened.

In a stage whisper, Andrew said, "Maybe you should let me rough him up a little."

"Andrew!" Xander and Kennedy admonished him. "Quiet."

Willow was perplexed. "I don't know, you guys," she said. "That should have worked."

"I am in agreement," said Piper. "We've rarely had a spell backfire this badly."

Giles thought, and then he suggested, "Perhaps Piper you and your sisters should try again. You did admit this was your first incantation in a language other than English."

"It's worth a try," said Piper.

Then Andrew murmured, "I am a drone in the mind that is evil …"

Annoyed, Xander snapped, "Could you just shut up?"

Andrew ignored him. "I say, I am a part of the Great Darkness …"

"Somebody needs a reality check," Kennedy said, equally annoyed.

"And a muzzle," Xander volleyed.

It was Paige who connected the dots. "Wait," she said. She looked at the Bringer, then at Andrew.

The picture popped into perspective: Andrew was serving as a conduit for the Bringer.

Andrew droned on, "I am only a fragment of The We. We work as one to serve The First."

Willow faced Andrew and then the Bringer. "Okay, well," she said, taking a breath," what are you, The We, doing for the First?"

Everyone listened carefully as Andrew replied," We work to prepare for the inevitable battle."

Then Kennedy shot forward, getting right in the Bringer's face. She pulled the Bringer's knife from her belt and pressed it to the Bringer's neck. "How? Tell me exactly what the Bringers are doing," Kennedy insisted.

"Kennedy, he can't see the knife," Phoebe said.

Andrew said calmly, "We can feel the knife."

"Kennedy," Giles requested, holding out his hand. She reluctantly yielded the weapon.

"We attend to the needs of infinite Evil," Andrew continued. "We exterminate girls and destroy the legacy of the Slayer. We build an arsenal beneath the dirt. We obey the commands of our teacher Caleb. We protect …"

"Wait," Xander said. "Go back to that dirt thing."

"We build weapons for the coming war," Andrew said.

"Can you do better specificity-wise than 'under the dirt?'" Anya asked.

"At the farthest edge of town," Andrew said conversationally. Then he was back in evil minion mode. "We are everywhere. We are like the ocean's waves. We watch you efforts and are not scared. We will laugh at you as you die."

Then without warning, Giles slashed the Bringer's knife across the Bringer's throat. The Bringer gasped, sucking air through its wound for a moment before it died.

"What the bananas! Andrew cried, fully Andrew again. He glared at Giles as he clutched his throat. "Okay, it is so lucky for you that you didn't just magically decapitate me," he said.

"We got something here," Giles said briskly. "Let's get Faith in on this."

Somewhere else in town Buffy was lying on a stranger's bed in a stranger's house; moonlight, the only source of light in the room, streamed in from the window.

Someone knocked on the front door. Buffy didn't even react. The knock was persisten, and the door opened, and she didn't have the wherewithal to do anything more than nothing.

She heard footsteps coming her way.

"There you are," Billie said as she and Spike strode in.

"Billie …" said Buffy. "Billie, I asked you to stay with Dawn."

"I know …" said Billie.

"Do you realize I could just walk in here," Spike cut in, "no invite needed? This town really is theirs now, isn't it?"

Buffy looked at Billie and Spike.

"I told him," said Billie, "everything."

"She's all smiles and _reformation_ when you're on your feet. Minute you're down? She's all about the kicking, isn't that right?" Spike spat. "Make me want to—"

Beyond tired, Buffy said, "It wasn't just Faith. It was all of them, well all of them except Billie. And it's not like they were wrong. No, please. Leave."

"This'll change your tune," Spike said excitedly. He had only shared this news with Billie and only after they had left the Summers home. "We came here 'cause we got something to tell you. You're right. You've been right since the beginning."

"Caleb _is_ protecting something from," Spike announced expansively. "And we think you were spot on all the way. Billie here and I both think it's at the vineyard."

"So?" Billie asked leadingly. "You were right, Christy."

Buffy shook her head. "I don't feel very right," she confessed. "They blame me, and honestly? I can't say they're wrong."

"You're not fooling me," said Billie.

"What do you even mean?" asked Buffy.

"You're not a quitter," said Billie. "And I'm not talking about all that you've done in the last seven years either, or the eight years before that. When we were kids, you didn't quit. And I don't think you can do it now either."

But Buffy was utterly defeated. "Oh ... watch me."

"Buffy, no," Spike said. "You were their leader and you still are. This isn't something that you gave up; it's something that they took."

"And the difference is?" Buffy asked dully.

Spike grinned his real grin. "We can take it back."

"No," Buffy said, sitting on the bed.

Billie was taken aback. "No?"

"No."

"You mean no as in, eventually?" asked Spike.

Buffy smiled thinly. "You both really have trouble with that word, don't you?"

Billie frowned. "I don't understand. I don't understand you one bit. You've changed over the years haven't you?"

"I've actually been aware of that for some time," Buffy said drolly. "I'm not Christy anymore. I haven't been Christy for fifteen years."

"You can get them back," Spike enunciated with care.

"Can, maybe." Buffy looked at Spike and Billie with questions in her eyes. "Should? I don't know. I'm so tired ..."

"They need you!" Spike insisted.

It was what Buffy wanted to hear, but she wouldn't admit it. "Well, I –"

"You know I gave them a good thrashing," said Billie.

"You did?" asked Buffy.

"Yes I did. Told them all to get out," said Billie. "Screamed and yelled at them all, every single one of them."

"I can't fault them for kicking me out," Buffy admitted, searching herself, finding herself wanting. "I've been ... I've just cut myself off from them, all of them. 'Cause I knew I was gonna lose some of them, and I didn't want to ..."

Distressed, she rose.

"You know what?" Buffy told them. "I'm still making excuses. I've always cut myself off, I've always ... Being the slayer made me different, but it's my fault I stayed that way. People try to connect to me but I just ... I slip away."

Buffy paused, looking to Spike for confirmation. When he remained silent, she pressed, "You should know."

"I seem to recall a certain amount of connecting," Spike told her.

"Please, Spike," Buffy said. "We never got close. That's why you wanted me—'cause I was unattainable."

"What about me, Christy?" asked Billie. "Now that you have your memories back. Are you going to cut yourself off from me?"

Buffy sighed. "Billie … I," she started.

"Listen to me," said Billie. "In the last few months since I met the sisters. I've seen things that I wish I hadn't. But the one thing I am glad I have seen is you, Christy. I have spent so long without my sister and now not only have I found her, but I even got a new one on top of that. I love you and Dawn, and I've only known you as Buffy for a day. But I've seen your strength, and your kindness, I've seen the best and the worst of you all in that one day. And I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You are a hell of a sister. Someone I am proud to have for a sister."

"I've been alive a lot longer than you," Spike said with a sideways glance at Billie," and dead a lot longer than that. I've seen thing you couldn't imagine, and some things I'd prefer you didn't. I don't exactly have a reputation for being a thinker; I follow my blood, which does not always rush in the direction of my head. So I've made a lot of mistakes. A lot of wrong bloody calls."

Spike and Billie squatted before Buffy as she sat on the bed. "A hundred plus years," Spike continued, "only one thing I've ever been sure of: you. I'm not asking you for anything. When I tell you that I love you, it's not because I want you, or because I can have you. It has nothing to do with me."

"I love what you are, what you do, how you try," Spike said. "I like your sister here have seen your strength, and your kindness. I like her have seen the best and the worst of you, and I like her understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You're one hell of a woman."

Buffy was silently crying.

"You're the one, Buffy," concluded Spike.

Softly Buffy said, "I don't ... I don't want to be the one."

"I don't want to be this good-looking and athletic," Spike riposted." We all have crosses to bear."

Buffy smiled a little.

"Now you get some rest," Spike ordered Buffy. As Billie moved beside her sister onto the bed. "I'll check in before first light, give you the information then about what I found." He turned and walked out of the bedroom.

Billie wrapped her arms around Buffy as they lay down on the bed. Buffy gently squeezed Billie's hand. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you for coming."

"You're welcome, Christy," Billie said.


	9. Chapter 8: Touched Pt 3

**Chapter 8: Touched Pt 3**

Morning broke, the fearful phantoms … solid and real; but the tenderness, too, as Buffy opened her eyes and gazed at her sister. She just lay there thinking about Billie. When this was all over she wanted to get to know her sister. She got out of bed and moved into the living room to find Spike waiting. He began to fill her in on everything he and Andrew had found.

In the bedroom Billie woke to find Buffy missing. She sat up and listened. Then she heard voices in the living room and got out of the bed and joined Spike and Buffy in the living room.

"Morning, sis," said Buffy .

"Morning, Christy," said Billie. "So what's going on?"

"Spike was just filling me in on what he and Andrew found. Caleb is definitely hiding something and I'm going to find out what," said Buffy.

"I'm going with you," said Billie.

"Billie …" said Buffy

"No," said Billie. "This is what I've been training with the sisters for."

"Billie, Caleb is human though. Evil yes, but human," said Buffy.

"I get that," said Billie. "I'm going to stand by your side, Christy. You are not going to change my mind."

"Okay," said Buffy.

At the Summers house, the Potentials were dressed for action.

"So it turned out that all these stone tablets basically said the same thing: The First and Caleb are trying to protect something. We don't know exactly what, but it's something powerful and they don't want the Slayers to get it. I'm thinking it could be a weapon and if we are looking for an arsenal—" Andrew said.

"You're not coming," Faith told Andrew flat out.

"If _one_ is looking for an arsenal," Andrew immediately corrected, "well, what better place to find a—"

"Weapon," Faith concluded. "Okay, got it. Good. Good thinking, Andrew."

"It's a pleasure, Faith," Andrew beamed. "Back to you."

Piper turned to Paige, Phoebe and Dawn. "Paige I need you to try and sense Buffy and Billie and listen for their call, just in case. Phoebe scry for Buffy. I will be scrying for Billie. Likely they will be together, but just in case we will each scry for one of them. Dawn you can watch me, okay. We'll start your training while we are keeping tabs on your sisters."

"Okay," said Dawn.

"Willow," said Piper. "Do you think you're up for a locator spell?"

"Uh," said Willow. "Not really. Last time I tried one that First possessed me."

"Okay," said Piper. Willow knew a lot about magic, Piper was sure. But she would be no use to them unless they could get her over her fear. "You sit next to Phoebe and we'll start your training also."

Willow's eyes went wide and then nodded. She wondered if the Halliwell's would be scared of her like the Devon coven had been. If they weren't maybe she would actually learn something. "Okay."

"Where do you want me?" Robin asked.

"By your phone, I'll call you when I need you," Faith said. Then she gaped at the large group of Potentials. "Those of you who are coming with me to the arsenal, you know who you are."

Kennedy pulled Willow's hand up to her lips and gave it a little kiss. Then she moved with Vi, Caridad, Amanda and several others to join Faith.

"Everybody ready?" Faith asked. Getting affirmatives, she said. "Let's do this thing."

Caleb and The First strolled among the barrels of wine, as he told her, "It shouldn't be long now. Prophesies say one thing but brute strength says another. We'll get it out."

The First, in the guise of Buffy, smiled at him and said, "Yes. That's true. Now rouse the Bringers, get them back to work –"

As if on cue, something came thump, thumping down the stairs.

It was a Bringer, dead, the corpse rolling to a stop at Caleb's feet.

"Hey," came a voice from the top of the stairs.

It was Buffy. The real one. And next to her stood Billie.

As the sisters looked down on them, Buffy said, "We hear you've got something of mine."

Buffy charged down the stairs and faced off with Caleb, tense, taut, every nerve on fire. He, however remained his affable, casual self.

"Well," Caleb drawled, "if it ain't the prodigal Slayer and her bitch of a sister."

"You are so going to pay for calling her that," said Buffy.

"So where's it at?" Billie demanded as she came down the stairs. "We're gonna find it sooner or later."

Buffy and Billie's gaze darted around the room, looking for Potential hiding placed. He smiled, knowing there were lots of them, and stepped closer to Buffy.

"No you two are not," Caleb riposted. "I lay a hand on you two and you both are just a dead little girls."

"So lay a hand on us," Buffy said, lifting her chin. "If you can."

Caleb's fist shot forward; he was going to give Buffy one hell of a punch …

… but Buffy bent back, far, much farther then Caleb could have even anticipated just as a wine barrel came flying towards him smashing into him and sending him flying back.

He was furious.

Caleb got back to his feet and charged at Buffy, crouching low to her in the gut … but she leaped straight up, onto a barrel.

Buffy ran the length of the casks; she was agile as a high-jumper, she scanned the room along with Billie, looking for it. Caleb gave chase, lunging at Buffy's ankles, and missed.

Barrels, telekinetically pushed by Billie, crashed down on him, win flowing everywhere … and he rose again and he was get these Jezebels and cut them to ribbons …

… if he could find them …

Then he saw Buffy sitting on top of a barrel, went toward her, then whip-turned around and saw another Buffy behind him standing next to Billie.

The Buffy on top of the barrel was The First, who said, "Caleb, this is getting embarrassing."

So he flung himself at Buffy and Billie, and missed them. He hit the ground hard.

"Do you have to look like that?" Caleb asked The First.

"Will you concentrate?" The First shot back.

"It's just a little confusing," Caleb argued.

"Fine. Go. Kill." The First commanded.

And then she disappeared.

Caleb turned on the sisters.

The fighting continued … or didn't, as Caleb still could not manage to connect with Buffy or Billie. He was getting righteously indignant. He swung and they dodged, jabbed and they dodged.

Then he chased them; they ran backward until they ran up against a cement post, and his face was right in theirs.

He swung.

Suddenly there was a brick wall between them as Billie used her projection power to create it.

His almighty punch connected to the cement of the newly created wall. It hurt like hell.

He seethed. He would see them dead, see them in hell, put an end to this here, now … he came around the wall and tried to grab the sisters and they feigned left and too late, he realized they had tricked him … they jumped up on the wine barrels and so help him, if he had a grenade, or another bomb …

He began to yank barrels from under their feet; they reached up to a ceiling beam and swung themselves to safety.

Wretched, red-face, and angry, Caleb said to them, "You whores."

"You know," Billie said, "you should really watch your language."

"Someone who didn't know you might think you were a woman-hating prick," added Buffy.

Furious, Caleb grabbed another barrel … and threw it at them.

His aim was perfect, smashing into them and knocking Buffy and Billie backward—but their legs held the beam like a trapeze and they flung themselves into the air, landing on the ground.

As Billie and Buffy gained their foot, they saw a small copper trap door in the floor.

They ran toward it, sliding along the wine-drenched cement on their knees, pulling it open …

Caleb lunged at them, but it was too late. Buffy and Billie dove head-first through the trap door as Caleb race after them, knocking barrels over, crushing them and landing on top of the wreckage, heaped on top of the trap door.

Beneath it, Buffy and Paige tumbled alongside the ladder, landing in a heap on the cement floor.

As they unsteadily got to their feet, the sister looked around at the walls of rough stone, registered that they had fallen somewhere hidden, somewhere secret—like a holy of holies, the beat heart of the place that was The First domain … or rather, the place that The First wished was its domain.

Then they realized with a start that they had found it.

Buffy reach out a hand as she and Billie stared in awe.

It was a scythe, buried to its hilt in stone like Excalibur. The stone in which it was encase had been chipped and blacked; but it was clear that Caleb and the other minions of The First had been unable to pry it loose.


	10. Chapter 9: End of Days Pt 1

**Chapter 9: End of Days Pt 1**

In the secret chamber, Buffy and Billie stood in awe for different reasons.

The scythe, embedded in rock, called to Buffy in a language of heart, and the soul, she knew it belonged to her, didn't know how she knew that. But she had a deep sense of coming bac, of coming home, of being here for the very purpose of claiming that weapon.

For Billie it was just seeing it in the stone. She had only seen one other weapon in stone, and that was Excalibur, that had been given to Piper so she could hold on to it for Wyatt when he came of age. Seeing this weapon in the stone told Buffy that she, or maybe even Faith, was the one to wield it.

Billie and Buffy walked forward as Buffy reached out a hand …

… just as Caleb dropped down behind them, landing on his feet with a wry smile on his face.

Buffy and Billie whirled to face him; as he approached, they did not break their stride.

"So? You found it," he said. He shrugged. "Because the question now, girly girls, is: can either of you pry that out of solid rock before …"

Buffy gripped the scythe's handle and, as easily as pulling a knife from butter, pulled it from the rock.

Caleb stopped short as the sisters looked at him, and said, "Darn."

Blocking Buffy and Billie's only way out, Caleb said, "Now, before you go hurting yourself, why don't you do yourself a courtesy..." He stepped forward, hand out. "… and hand it over now."

"Yeah? You want it?" asked Buffy.

Buffy flipped the scythe over in her hand, as if she'd done it a thousand times. Now the weapon was pointed straight at Caleb's throat.

"In the head or the gut?" she added.

Caleb stayed calm which was impressive. "You two don't even know what you've got there."

"We know you're backing away," Billie drawled

Buffy and Billie sidestepped around him.. He kept his distance. He was genuinely afraid.

So Caleb went for the attitude.

"You two think wielding some two-sided doo-dads gonna make a difference?"

Then, in Buffy's voice, The First said, "Let them go, Caleb."

The First was standing behind Caleb, gaze on the sisters … and on the scythe in Buffy's grasp.

"I said, let them go."

Caleb also kept his gaze fixed on Buffy, Billie and the scythe. "I let them go, she slices me open with that thing."

"No, she doesn't," The First informed them. "They haven't got time. They got friends–and their friends are in trouble."

Buffy and Billie's gaze ticked from Caleb to The First as Buffy's mirror image said hopefully, "Faith go boom."

"PAIGE!" called out Billie.

Caleb shook his head. "I'm not letting them out of here with that thing."

"Sure you are," The First said pleasantly. "And then you're coming back for it later." She looked to the sisters as Paige orbed in and grabbed Buffy and Billie's hands. "When she's got her back turned."

"Take us to Faith. She's in trouble," said Billie as Paige orbed out with her and Buffy.

In a Sewer, and Ubervamp attacked Kennedy, she instinctively flipped him over her shoulder as she screamed bloody murder.

Another crashed the party and scrambled up a tilted metal beam atop the pile of debris; it crouched atop the beam like a huge bird of prey, eyeing the Potentials, hissing at them.

The girls backed as Caridad shouted, "Weapons! Over there!"

The three Turok-Han, for another one stood atop the debris, lunged as one upon the tight cluster of girls. The Potentials ran for their lives; Amanda raced ahead, then turned back.

The three monsters converged on one of the newest girls, grabbed her, began ripping her apart with animalistic brutality and speed; horrified Amanda couldn't stop watching, couldn't stop them, couldn't stop …

Caridad grabbed hold of Amanda and pulled her along.

Kennedy grabbed up one of the Bringers' weapons on the mucky floor of the sewer and held it up, protecting the others, poised to meet the enemy. The Ubervamps, their mouths dripping gore, rushed the girls, backing them up against the wall.

The first Turok-han ripped Kennedy's blade from her hand, slapped a long-fingered hand around her throat, and lifted her off the ground as if she were weightless.

Kennedy was beginning to suffocate, and she oped to God she went out that way.

Suddenly there were white orbing lights as Paige, Billie and Buffy orbed in.

The Turok-han dropped Kennedy and lunged for Buffy, Paige and Billie. Buffy, holding the scythe by its handle, punched it in the throat with the scythe's blade; the blade sliced right through its neck in one solid motion.

Decapitated, the super-vampire dusted.

"Paige get them out of here," said Billie.

Paige turned and ran towards Kennedy and the Potentials as she waved her hand, "Summers house!" And Kennedy orbed out.

The second and third Ubervamps rushed Buffy and Billie from behind; Buffy spun and staked the second Ubervamp with the hand of the scythe, pushing through his stone-hard breastbone and into his heart.

With a roar of fury, that vampire dust too.

The third grabbed Billie and hurled her hard onto the metal grate, then jumped her as it leaned down to bite her.

"Christy!" shouted Billie.

Buffy spun at the sound of Billie's voice. "Billie!" she said as she raised the scythe to hurl it at the last Ubervamp. Both she and Billie were surprise when instead of hurling the scythe she threw a stream of fire from her hand straight at the Ubervamp who caught on fire and dusted.

Buffy looked down at her hands in amazement.

Paige transported everyone back to the Summers home. Dawn, Billie, Phoebe and Piper bandaged the less serious injuries. Paige was healing the more serious ones. Buffy bent over a girl with a terrible wound; she was trying to staunch the wound with her bare hand.

"Willow! C'mere," Buffy said. "This girl's losing blood. I will get Paige over here to heal her ASAP."

Willow brought a cloth and pressed it hard over the wound. "Got it," she said.

Buffy rose, surveying the scene, then wipe her blood hands on a blanket on the floor. Then she hefted the scythe.

"Is Faith okay?" Amanda asked. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Kennedy soothed. "Right? You guys heal fast, right? You Slayers?"

"Yeah," Buffy said. "But just to be on the safe side… Paige as soon as you're done there. Heal the girl Willow is attending to and then head up to Faith."

"Okay, Buffy," said Paige.

Caridad gestured to Buffy's weapon and said, "What's with the axe-thing?"

"We took it from Caleb," Billie said as she moved next to Buffy. "Might be important."

"Let's hope," Vi murmured.

Amanda blurted out, "I think we got punished."

Buffy and Billie turned and looked at Amanda. Billie was about to agree with Amanda when Buffy put a finger to Billie's lips quieting her as she said. "What?"

Kennedy dipped her head. "We ... we followed her. And it was ..."

"It didn't work out," Vi finished lamely.

Buffy shook her head. "That wasn't her fault. It was a trap. I could've fallen for it as easy as her."

Caridad took that in. "So ... are you ... are you, like, _back_?"

"Yeah I'm back and I'm not leaving," said Buffy as she looked at Billie who nodded in understanding. Billie could tell Buffy was telling them that she forgave them for kicking her out.

Kennedy clearly liked that answer as she nodded satisfied. Then she pushed on like the Amazon she was and said, "So ... we got a plan now or anything?

Buffy headed up the stairs followed by Billie and Paige. "Yeah, there's a plan. Get ready. Time's up," she said.

As Buffy, Billie and Paige continued up, they heard Amanda murmuring, "I still think we got punished."

They went into Buffy's old room, to see Xander and Giles tending to Faith. Three more Potentials stood watching, moving out of their way as they came into the room.

"Is she breathing okay?" Xander asked.

Giles nodded. "Still not conscious, though."

Paige pushed past Buffy and Billie to beside Faith and held out her hands as she begun to heal Faith.

Emotion welled up inside Buffy but she steeled herself and said, "We've still got work to do."

Buffy caught Giles' eye; he rose and followed her and Billie into Willow's room. A Potential got Willow, Piper and Phoebe and brought them in, leaving them alone to examine the scythe.

"I think it's ... maybe some kind of scythe?" Buffy said as the others examined it. "Only thing I know for sure is, it made Caleb back off in a hurry."

"So it's true. Scythe matters," Willow quipped.

Giles tried very hard to ignore that, and continued examining the weapon.

"And, ignoring that, I'd like to point out. It's really quite ingenious," he said.

"Kills strong bodies three ways," Billie agreed as Buffy smiled at her.

"And Buffy, you say you sense something when you hold it?" Piper asked.

"Not much," Buffy replied, gazing first at it, and then at Willow. "Just ... it's strong. And I knew it belonged to me. I mean, I just knew it," said Buffy.

Giles considered that. "So in addition to being ancient, it's clearly mystical."

"Yeah, I figured that when I King-Arthur'd it out of that stone," said Buffy as Piper and Phoebe turned to look at her. "What?"

"Buffy you took it out of a stone?" asked Piper as she remembered what had happened two years earlier with Excalibur.

"Yeah, why?" asked Buffy.

Piper and Phoebe looked at each other with recognition of what that means. "You're destined for it. Or you're the new Lady in the Lake." said Phoebe. "Two years ago we came across Excalibur. Turned out Piper's son, Wyatt was destined for it. Piper could draw out the sword from the stone because she was the new Lady in the Lake."

"I'd say it was likely destined for you since you can sense something coming from it," said Piper. "Well you or Faith. Till Paige is done healing her we won't know if she can sense what you sense also."

"Which makes it sound like maybe this is some kind of Slayer weapon," suggested Willow.

That clearly struck Giles as odd; he frowned and said, "It's hard to imagine something like that could exist without my having heard of it. Is there any chance it's something besides a tool to kill things?"

Billie and Buffy shrugged. "The First's guys were clearly trying to get it out of that stone," said Billie.

"It's not just some tool; it's important," added Buffy. "Find out whatever you can: Who made it, why. And when. Does it have a name? And, I dunno, a credit report? Find out fast."

"We'll start work immediately," Giles promised her.

"As soon as Paige has healed Faith. We'll have her orb back to San Francisco to check the Book," said Piper.

"Don't worry, Buff," Willow said, smiling. "We'll find out everything there is to know."

"Thanks," Buffy told Willow genuinely. "Because right now, this thing's all we've got going for us." She looked at Billie who nodded indicating it was alright. "Guys I just want to say you were right. I did need a break. The strain of everything was getting to me."

"What Billie said was also, right," said Willow. "We should have listened to each other. All of us approached it wrong."

"Agreed," said Giles. "Tensions were high on both side. If we had sat down and both sides listened to what the other had to say. It would have been better than it was."


	11. Chapter 10: End of Days Pt 2

**Chapter 10: End of Days Pt 2**

It was Buffy and Xander, in the kitchen, and they were not playing Clue. They were essentially, saying goodbye. Or at least, she was trying to.

"You got it?" Buffy asked him firmly.

Xander half-raised his hand in that 'hold on a minute ' way of his. She knew his every gesture, the nuance of his voice; plus, she had seen him do the Snoopy Dance and heard him sing in Hindi.

"Wait," he said. "I'm not to the 'got it' place yet. I'm still in the neighborhood of 'you've got to be kidding'."

Buffy was adamant. "You know it's for the good."

"I don't," Xander looked at her, hard. "Buffy, do you get that, if I do this, that's it for me for this fight?" As she gaze back at him, he said, "I feel like you're putting me out to pasture."

"Of course I'm not putting you out to pasture," Buffy insisted. Then she said, half to herself, "What does that even mean?"

Xander cocked his head, sighed, searched for a way to put it. "Oh, you know, it's like, when a cow gets old and loses an eye or its ability to be milked, the farmer takes it and puts it in a different pasture where it won't have to ... Fight ... with priests ..."

Realizing he vagued out, he said, "You don't have to protect me."

"I'm not."

"I got hurt," he continued, "and Paige healed me. But I'm not done. I can still fight."

Buffy nodded strenuously, her eyes big and wide. "I know. That's why you're doing this. I need someone I can count on. No matter what happens."

"I just ..." Xander's voice dropped. He regarded his friend, and his voice shook with emotion. "I just … always thought I'd be here for the end with you."

Buffy scowled. "Hey!"

"Not that this is the end," Xander added quickly.

"Thanks a _lot_," Buffy mugged.

"No, no, no, no," Xander sweated. "I meant 'end' in a heroic, uplifting, way. I'm still optimistic!"

Buffy smiled reassuringly, loving him in that moment. As in all moments. "I know what you meant."

"I should be at your side. That's all I'm saying."

"You will be," Buffy said feelingly. She gazed at him. "You're my strength, Xander. I never would have made it this far without you. I trust you with my life. That's why I need you to do this for me."

Her words finally sank in. He surrendered.

"Okay."

Willow, Phoebe, Piper and Giles worked in Willow's room, Giles and Piper reading moldy bound books, Willow and Phoebe on the laptop. The scythe was like a fifth person in the room, a silent sentinel with its secrets locked away … and the power in it thrumming eagerly, to be used by the Slayer.

Then Willow and Phoebe found something. "Okay," Willow said, "before the vineyard was just, you know, a vineyard? It was a monastery."

"It could have been put there then," added Phoebe.

"Creepy monks, messing with powers they don't understand?" said Willow.

Giles frowned thoughtfully and shook his head. "No. It's far older. Pre-Christian."

"Well, we found a reference to stories the monks used to tell about something older," said Phoebe.

"Like, maybe some kind of pagan temple," added Willow.

"Native American?" asked Piper.

"No," said Willow. "I don't know... maybe we're coming at this the wrong way. Maybe we need to research the weapon itself." She gestured. "I mean ... look ... maybe it's the Axe of Dekeron, said to have been forged in Hell itself. Lost since the Children's Crusade, where it killed a lot of ... oh ... children," she looked at Phoebe. "I hope that's not it."

"Agreed," said Phoebe.

Piper gestured with her book. "Mr. Giles and I've found references to the Sword of Moskva, and the Reaper of the Tigris."

Giles was frustrated. "I don't see how we're going to narrow this down. There's never a clear enough illustration."

He slammed his tomey volume shut. "Damn. We're running out of time and we've nothing useful."

Willow got up and crossed to the scythe, wareily lifting it up. She examined it.

"It doesn't have any markings," she said. "Would it be so hard to include a little sticker? 'Hello, my name is the Blank of Blankthuselah, consult operating instructions before wielding.'"

She closed her eyes, moving into a meditative state, searching for the scythe's vibratory plane.

"Willow?" Piper asked. "Do you feel the power Buffy talked about?"

Willow opened her eyes. "Gotta say no. Must be a Slayer thing."

"Tapping into some magicks might help with that," Giles ventured.

"It might," Willow agreed. "But this ... thing ... I mean, if Caleb is scared of it, it's something pretty dangerous, and tapping into that ..."

She put the scythe down, a little afraid of it.

"Willow," Piper said gently. "You can do it without using dark magicks. You are a good witch."

"I know.," Willow said wistfully. "And when I was in England I got it. But here ... I can't do it. If I tried something big ... I just know I'd change and then it's all black hair and veins and lightning bolts. I mean, I can barely do the locator spells without getting dark roots."

"But if it's necessary?" Giles urged.

"Well we have Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Billie. Shoot we even have Buffy and Dawn since they have both proven their witches also," said Willow. "They could do it."

"Willow," said Piper. "There is no guarantee that any of us will be able to do anything. You need to be able to."

Willow looked at them straight on. "I ... I don't know."

"Do what you can, Willow. That's all any of us can do," said Giles with a look at Piper who nodded.

"I guess so." Willow went back to the computer and sat down again beside Phoebe as they studied the screen. "Man. None of these sound right." She pointed. "Look at this, something just called "m" with a question mark, what the heck's that?"

"I can't imagine," Giles began, then blinked and said. "Wait. Let me see." He and Piper leaned over the keyboard. "That's not a question mark. That's the International Phonetic Alphabet sign for a glottal stop."

"A who-y?" asked Willow.

"It's a sort of... gulpy noise." Giles nodded to himself. "I'm remembering something here ... hieroglyphs ... hieroglyphs stand for sets of consonants. The consonants 'm' plus glottal stop, are represented by a little picture commonly thought to represent a sickle or scythe. It appears in thousands of carvings, in Egypt and throughout the ancient world."

"Carvings?" Phoebe echoed, looking at him and Piper. "Like you'd have on a pagan temple?"

"Let's go back, see what else we can find about that temple." Giles said as he picked up the scythe.

"A scythe is a symbol of death," he mused. "Find out where these pagans buried their dead."

Billie was rooting around in the weapons bag and Dawn was in front looking around the front passenger seat.

"Xander, my crossbow is not out here," Dawn said. "I told you, I don't leave crossbows around all willy-nilly." Dawn is too occupied to notice that Xander has slipped behind Billie and clamped a handkerchief over Billie's nose and mouth, holding it as she tried to scream. Then Billie slumped forward as she went limp and unconscious.

"What was that?" asked Dawn.

"Nothing," said Xander as he moved around the rear door to stand beside Dawn.

"Anyways I don't leave crossbows willy-nilly since that time with Miss Kitty Fantastico," Dawn said as she got up out of the car, ostensibly and moved around the still opened rear door. "Billie did you …" she started to say as she that Billie was slumped over the back seat. Xander clamped a second handkerchief over her nose and mouth, holding it as she tried to scream, as she struggled; then breaking her fall as she went limp and unconscious.

Xander put her in the front passenger seat of the car, put that sucker in reverse and flew out of there like a bat from Sunnydale.

High desert, high moon, and Xander was _fahrin' fahrin' aud der Autobahn …_

… when Billie and Dawn moaned.

Xander said, "Dawn, Billie you both awake?"

Billie and Dawn both looked around, took in their black surroundings and then looked at Xander. "What happened?" asked Billie.

"Um ... thought you might say that," Xander grimaced.

"Actually, Billie meant to say 'what the _hell_ happened'," Dawn said, angrily.

"It was a chloroform." Xander felt just sick about it.

"Color forms? What?" Dawn said.

"Chloroform. Dawn are you still loopy?"

"Sorry about that," Dawn said, dry as toast. "Someone knocked me out with _chloroform_. Xander! Talk to us! Where are we going?"

"Away," Xander said simply.

Then he handed Dawn a sealed envelope.

"What's this?" asked Dawn.

"Open it," said Xander.

Dawn opened It and started to read aloud.

_Dearest Dawn and Billie, _

_Don't be angry with Xander. He only did what I told him to do. This isn't the place for either of you right now. Please know that I love you Dawn and you Billie and that everything I do is for the two of you. I promised once to show you, Dawn, this beautiful world, and I'm going to do everything I can to make that_

_ZZZZZZZZZot!_

Xander went rigid behind the wheel and slumped.

Dawn put down her stun gun, which she had slipped from her weapons bag while reading Buffy's note, and put her foot on the brake.

The note, she crumpled and tossed into the back seat.

Billie looked down at the crumpled note resting beside her and then nodded in agreement. No need to read more.

Then Dawn pulled the car over, then she and Billie got out and dragged Xander out and into the back seat. Then they got in and Billie hung a U, and they headed back for Sunnydale.


	12. Chapter 11: Chosen Pt 1

**Chapter 11: Chosen Pt 1**

Buffy entered the Summers home, closing the door being her and found … Dawn and Billie.

Dawn and Billie glared at her; Buffy, who in turn, gazed over at Xander, who looked pained and sheepish. Anya was rubbing his head; Giles, Piper, Paige, Phoebe and Willow were there too.

As Buffy looked back at her sisters, Dawn silently kicked her in the shin as Billie slapped her.

Buffy said, "Ow."

"Dumbass," Dawn growled at Buffy.

"I think that sentiment goes for both of us, Christy," said Billie.

Buffy looked over at Xander, who simply threw up his hands and said, "Don't look at me. This is a Summers' … or is it a Jenkins' … thing. It's all very violent."

Buffy said to her sisters. "You two get killed, I'm telling."

And that was that.

Sensing the change in cabin pressure, Piper asked. "Did you find out anything about the scythe?"

Buffy seized the preening opportunity with glee. "I found out it slices, dices and makes julienne Preacher."

"Caleb?" Giles asked, actually excited despite being British.

"I cut him in half," Buffy affirmed. "I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty neat."

"Well all right!" Willow cried.

"He had that coming," Anya concurred.

Buffy waggled the scythe and said, "I did find out some history on this puppy. I'll fill you in. And I got some files, might be helpful." She handed them to Giles. "And … this." She held out the amulet. "Supposed to be powerful, don't know much more."

Giles looked at the bounty and asked, "Where'd you get all this?"

"Angel," said Buffy.

"Angel?" Dawn echoed.

Giles asked, "He's here."

"I sent him back to L.A.," Buffy said. "To prepare. If we fail."

Xander cocked a brow at Buffy. "Operative word 'If.'"

Anya added, "Operative word 'fail.'"

Dawn chirruped, "Or, operative word 'Wheeee!'" Billie laughed. "At least Billie gets me." She turned and hugged her newest sister.

The next morning the sun had risen by the time Willow, Faith, Giles, Dawn, Billie, Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Buffy had assembled in Buffy's bedroom. Buffy finished explaining her plan and said, "Well? What do you think?"

Xander went first, wading slowly as he said, "That depends." Then he said sincerely, "Are you _kidding_?"

Buffy frowned. "You don't think it's a good idea?"

"It's pretty radical, B," Faith concurred.

"It's a lot more than that," Giles said. "Buffy, what you're talking about flies in the face of everything we've ever—that every generation—has ever done in the fight against evil." He smiled broadly. "I think it's bloody brilliant."

"You mean that?" asked Buffy.

"If you want my opinion," Giles said shrugging.

"I really do," Buffy said warmly.

"Whoa hey, not to poop on the party," Willow said, knitting her brows with earnest concern. "But I'm the guy who's gonna have to pull this off."

"You're not the only one," said Billie supportively. She looked to Buffy and Piper both of whom nodded in acceptance. "I'm going to help you."

"Is it even possible?" asked Dawn.

Giles was getting excited. "I believe it is, if what Buffy has told us about this weapon is true."

"Not to careen back to the, _me and Billie_ subject, but this is beyond anything I've ever done."

"Beyond anything I've ever done also," added Billie.

"This is a total loss of control, and not in a nice, wholesome, my-girl-friend-has-a-pierced-tongue way," said Willow.

Buffy regarded her best friend and her sister soberly, and told them frankly. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you or Billie could do it."

Willow fretted still. "I'm just not sure I'm stable enough to –"

Billie looked to Paige, Phoebe and Piper. "Or that you guys have taught me enough," she added.

"Oh, sure ya are," Anya reassured Willow, giving her a little wave. "You're as stable as the molecules in Mister Fantastic's uniform, am I right?"

"Billie, you're more than ready for this," Paige reassured Billie. "This is what we have been teaching you for. Right, Piper … Phoebe?"

Xander grimaced as he looked to Anya. "Oh, you just couldn't have picked a worse example."

"Right, Paige," said Piper and Phoebe in agreement.

Giles took over. "You two are going to do this, Willow, Billie. Get the coven on the line, see how they can help. Talk to Piper, Phoebe and Paige and see if they have any ideas. I'll –"

"Oh!" Dawn cried; then, as everyone looked at her, she muttered, "'Pierced tongue.'"

Unnerved, Buffy quickly said, "Dawn should do a research thing."

"Yes," Giles said to Dawn. "You–"

"It's cool," Dawn said. "Watcher Junior to the library." As she turned to leave, she said to Buffy, "You get to save the world, I get more homework."

"Dawn," said Piper as Dawn turned to look at her. "One thing you need to learn as a witch is that research makes the difference between you being vanquished or a demon being vanquished. Know who it is you're fighting and what it will take to vanquish him or her. And it can help you to live longer."

Dawn looked to Piper and then nodded as she smiled. "Ok," she said. She then looked to Buffy and finally at Billie and smiled and hugged both of her sisters who returned the embrace before she walked out of the room.

"I'll start digging up my sources," Giles pondered. "Literally, actually; there's one or two people I need to talk to who are dead."

Anya said to Xander, "Come on. Let's go assemble the cannon fodder."

"We're not calling them that," Xander remonstrated her as he stood up. "Sweetie.".

Anya gave him a 'no kidding' look and said, "Not to their faces–what am I, insensitive?"

"Willow ... Billie …," Buffy said turning toward them.

Willow looked at the scythe. "We're gonna need to run an energy scan on that puppy. To start with."

Faith gave Buffy a mocking grin. "Sure you're ready to give it up?"

Without another word, Buffy handed the scythe to Billie.

Later on that morning, Buffy spoke to the assembled Potentials. She paced as she spoke, and she could feel the tension in the room. Not all the girls were glad she was back, and some of the newbies didn't trust her at all.

"I hate this," Buffy began. "I hate being here. I hate that you have to be here. I hate that there's evil, that it's growing, and I hate that I was chosen to fight it."

"I wish, a whole lot of the times, that I hadn't been." She flashed them a wry smile. "I know a lot of you wish I hadn't been either."

Kennedy and Vi smiled a bit; others looked embarrassed.

"But this isn't about wishes," Buffy went on, looking at their faces, seeing how young they were, how frightened. "This is about choices. I never had one. I was chosen. And I accept that. I'm not asking you to accept anything. I'm asking you to make your own choice. I believe we can beat this evil—not when it comes, not after its army is ready, but now. Tomorrow morning I'm opening the Seal. I'm going down into the Hellmouth and I'm going to finish it once and for all."

They shifted, some gasping, others shaking their heads: _Another stupidly aggressive plan of Buffy's. She's going to get herself killed. _

"I've got strong allies: warriors, charms, sorcerers, and I'll need them all. But I'll also need you. Every single one of you."

Buffy looked at each one in turn. She memorized their faces much as she had done with Dawn two years earlier. "So now you're asking yourself, 'What makes this different? What makes us anything more than a bunch of girls getting picked off one by one?'"

"It's true none of you has the power Faith and I have. I think both of us would have to die for a new Slayer to be called, and we can't even be sure that girl is in this room. That's the rule. So here's the part where you make a choice."

"What if you could have that power? Now. All of you. In every generation one Slayer is born because a bunch of guys that died thousands of years ago made up that rule. They were powerful men."

Buffy pointed to Billie, Willow, Piper, Phoebe and Paige. "These women are more powerful than all of them combined. So I say we change the rules. I say my power should be our power. Tomorrow Willow and Billie will use the essence of the scythe, which contains the energy and history of so many Slayers, to change our destiny."

"From now on, every girl in the world who might be a Slayer, will be a Slayer. Every girl who could have the power, will have the power. Who can stand up, will stand up."

"Every one of you, and girls we've never known, and generations to come ... they will have strength they never dreamed of, and more than that, they will have each other."

"Slayers. Every one of us."

"Make your choice."

"Are you ready to be strong?"

The day flew by as Willow and Billie labored over Willow's books of shadows and incantations. Kennedy sat like a beautiful incarnation of the Goddess among the books, papers and mystical objects … and the scythe.

"I really wish she hadn't said that about me," Willow murmured.

"What, the thing Christy said?" asked Billie.

"I think it's true," added Kennedy.

Willow made a hapless face. "Eheh."

"I'll be with you," said Billie. "To keep you grounded."

Willow made a spear-jab motion and said, with all sincerity. "You may have to keep me stabbed ... if I … go to the bad place."

"You're saying I might have to kill you," said Billie.

"I am," Willow agreed.

"Bite me," said Billie. "I don't think Kennedy would like me much if I killed her girlfriend."

"No, I wouldn't," agreed Kennedy.

"If I go south, you gotta protect the others," said Willow, very sincerely.

"It's not going to happen," Kennedy insisted as Billie nodded in agreement.

Willow had to make them understand. "The darkest place I've ever been—this is what lies beyond that. This is too important for me to ..."

"… Christy believes in you," Billie reminded her. "She believes in us."

Willow sighed. "You know, your sister: Sweet girl, not that bright."

"Hey." Kennedy leaned toward Willow. "I'm the first to call her out when she's not making sense ... in fact this may have escaped your keen notice, but I'm kind of a brat. I've sort of always gotten my way. So you're gonna make it through this, no matter how dark it gets. Because now …"

Kennedy's eyes misted, and she came to Willow, then.

"... you're my way."

Willow and Kennedy kissed, and Billie turned to give them at least some modicum of privacy.

"Billie, we better go over it again," said Willow when the kiss ended.

And the day had flown by for Anya, Piper, Phoebe and Paige as they sat talking in the living room. "Are you three related to Penny Halliwell?" asked Anya.

"Yes," said Piper. "She's our grandmother. Why?"

"Well I met her back during my vengeance demon days. She made a wish upon her second, or was it her third, husband. I turned him into a dung beetle," said Anya. "She was quite the woman. It's frowned upon to keep in contact with the wisher after the wish. But I broke the rules and kept in contact with her till her death. You probably don't remember me but I visited a couple times when you two," she pointed at Piper and Phoebe," we're little. Back before she bound your powers. She was one hell of a woman."

Piper and Phoebe looked at each other and then nodded in agreement that Anya was right. Their Grams was one hell of a woman. They began peppering the former vengeance demon with questions about their grandmother. What she had been like back then.

Upstairs Dawn counted coup as she regaled the young Potentials with tales of the Slayer. Some were in sleeping bags, and some where just hanging out at her feet; all were rapt.

"And the Master grabbed Buffy from behind and bit her," she said, "she tried to move but he was too strong, he fed on her blood and he tossed her in the water, cackling insanely as the bubbles rose around her and she slowly drowned to death."

Vi was freaking out. "Do you have any other stories?"

Billie walked into the room. She and Willow had finished as much as they could. The spell was done and she had left to give Kennedy and Willow some privacy to be simply two people in love.

Dawn looked to Billie and smiled. "She gets up again, it's very romantic. Guys, you gotta stop worrying. It's Buffy. She always saves the day."


	13. Chapter 12: Chosen Pt 2

**Chapter 12: Chosen Pt 2**

Sunnydale High School: the last stand, the last battle, the last day as the sun finally rose and rose too fast.

Wood led the girls into the empty corridors of the building. He stopped at the big space at the bottom of the stairs.

"Welcome to Sunnydale High," he told them in a booming voice. "There's no running in the halls, no yelling and no gum. Apart from that we have only one rule."

He stopped and turned.

"If they move, kill them."

Buffy began to move everyone into position as she announced, "Potentials are in the basement, follow Faith, Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Spike.

As they began to leave, Xander called out, "If you have to go to the bathroom, it's on the left. If you don't have to go to the bathroom, picture what you're about to face. Better to go _now_."

Wood turned to Willow and Billie and said, "Willow, Billie my office is through there."

"It's right over the Seal," Buffy reminded them.

"Okay, civilians." Wood gestured as he spoke. "The vampires get upstairs we have three areas they could get through to another building and down into the sewers."

"Down the hall in the atrium, the north hall here, and the primary target, through the lounge to the science building. Odds are, most of them will head there. Easy to find, big, no sunlight."

Giles spoke up. "Teams of two then, and I suggest you and I take the lounge."

"I concur," Wood replied.

"Xander, I want you with Dawn," said Buffy.

"I concur," Xander said.

"We'll take the atrium," Dawn announced.

"So that leaves me and the dungeon master in the north hall," Anya concluded.

"We will defend it with our very lives," said Andrew.

"Yes," Anya put in, "we'll defend it with his very life."

"Don't be afraid to use him as a human shield," Xander suggested.

"Good. Yes. Thanks," Anya said.

"And I just wanna say how proud I am to die for this really special cause with you guys," said Andrew. "There's some people I'd like to thank, both good and evil ..."

He was holding a paper, which he now unfolded, and began to read. "A shout out to my brother Tucker, who gave me the inspiration to summon demons and also –"

"Nobody cares, ya little monkey," Anya said, not without affection , as she dragged him off.

Robin left, too, and Dawn announced. "I'm gonna check out our field of engagement."

"I'll start getting us set up," Billie said.

"Okay," Willow said.

Dawn and Billie started down the hall. Buffy followed.

"Billie, Dawn."

"No." Dawn said as she and Billie turned back, not waiting for Buffy or Billie to speak. In a choked voice, she said, "Anything either of you say is gonna sound like goodbye."

Resolutely, Dawn turned back around, and left. Billie and Buffy silently watched her. Billie then looked to her sister and could tell that Buffy was working hard not to lose it.

Buffy turned and faced Billie who smiled. "I'll see you in a little bit," Billie said.

Buffy nodded as she watched Billie enter the office. Then she turned back around and joined the group.

The Four: Buffy, Giles, Willow and Xander.

"So," Buffy said, taking on chipper. "What do you guys wanna do tomorrow?"

Willow considered. "Nothing strenuous."

"Mini-golf is always the first thing that comes to mind," Xander said, weighing in.

Giles looked mildly disappointed. "Well, I think we can do better than that."

"I'm pretty much thinking about shopping," Buffy announced. "I do have to break in a new sister you know."

"There's an Agnes B. in the new mall!" Willow told her excitedly.

"I could use a few items," Xander said.

"Well, no, aren't we going to discuss this?" Giles asked. We're saving the world to go to the mall?"

"I'm having a wicked shoe craving," Buffy said.

"Aren't you on the patch?" Xander asked her.

Willow shook her head sadly. "Those never work."

"And I'm just here, invisible to the eye, not having any say …" Giles whined.

And the three younger champions headed off, leaving the older one to watch them.

Giles turned away from them.

"The earth is _definitely_ doomed."

Then the three peeled off from each other, Willow first, then Xander, much with the cash chatter they would have, any other day …

… and Buffy was alone … with memories, with voices.

She made her way into the basement were at the end of the hall, Spike was waiting.

"Time to go to work, love," he said.

He gestured to the Potentials. Some were crowded outside the seal chamber because there was not enough room inside. But they parted respectfully for Buffy. Her gaze ticked toward a few of them. They were so brave, and yet so terrified. Maintaining their control so well … she was proud of them. She wanted to save them, all of them, not lose a single one, ever. For no one to die, ever, in the world …

She moved into the room and stood beside the Seal, next to Faith, who held out a knife.

"You're first, B," Faith said.

Buffy took the knife, cut her hand, and let her blood drip onto the Seal. Faith took the knife and said, "Pucker up, ladies. We're going to Hell."

Then she sliced her own palm with casual aplomb.

Faith handed the knife to Piper who remembered the first time she had done this. When she, Prue and Phoebe had summoned their ancestor, Melinda Warren. How she hadn't liked the idea of pricking her finger. Those days were long gone as she sliced her own palm. She then handed the knife to Phoebe who followed by Paige sliced open their palms also.

Then all the girls around the circle held out their hands …

The Seal started to open.

Steeling her gaze, finding her center, Buffy started down.

In Wood's office, Willow and Billie sat on the floor, the scythe between them, an athame and bowl at their side. Candles and incense surrounded them.

"They should be in place," Willow said. "Okay, magic time." She gazed at Billie. "You ready to ... heh, heh ... kill me?"

Billie rolled her eyes as she and Willow took a deep breath.

They shut their eyes.

Down among the dead men, into the cavern, Buffy, Faith, Piper, Phoebe, Paige and a few of the girls went as more followed.

And Spike, with the amulet around his neck.

"Not to be a buzzkill, love," Spike said," but my fabulous accessory isn't exactly tingling with power."

"I'm not worried," Buffy told him.

Piper, Phoebe and Paige looked at each other. They still could not understand why he was here. But they had come to realize that Buffy had been right. He was on their side.

"I'm getting zero juice here," he went on. "And I look like Elizabeth Taylor."

"Cheer up, Liz," Faith said to him. "The spell don't work, won't matter _what_ you wear."

"I'm not worried," Buffy said again.

But her voice said otherwise, and the others gazed in horror as they moved to the precipice, which looked out over an endless cavern, and in that cavern … thousands of Turok-han.

Thousands.

"I'm not worried," Buffy said, practically catatonic.

"Really?" Rona whispered. "'Cause I'm flashing back to Xander's whole bathroom speech."

"Buffy?" Amanda asked shrilly.

Buffy closed her eyes. "Now Willow. Now Billie."

"Buffy?" This time Amanda almost screamed.

"I'm not worried!" Buffy proclaimed. "As long as Willow can work the spell before they … see us."

As one, the vamps caught sight of the girls. Screaming, they charged.

"Willow," Buffy whispered. "Billie."

The battle had begun.

In the Principal's office Willow and Billie were chanting rapid fire.

_"Words to the Goddess, prayer to the Goddess, protector of woman of women, the power of the Goddess, Queen of the Moon of the Earth Air Fire Water, of the Angel, of Guardians and of Slayers, of Slayers, of Slayers, of SISTERS." _

Willow and Billie tensed up, eyes widening, a light began to fill the room, coursing through them, through everything.

"Oh ... My ... Goddess," said Willow and Billie

Billie fell back out of the circle, slammed by something unseen. She grunted, shouted … and was filled … filled with something that should not have been possible. She remembered what Giles had said that only Buffy had been identified as a Potential. But as she reared back, her eyes were sparkling with power. And she knew her destiny had grown beyond what it had originally been meant to be. She knew that she was now a Slayer.

In the cavern the same power that had swept through Billie swept through each and every one of the Potentials.

"Sweet fancy Moses," Amanda gasped.

Buffy and Faith beamed at each other.

"You feel that?" Faith asked Buffy.

"I really do," Buffy told Faith. And then she looked up at the ceiling of the cavern but only for an instant. She could feel it there was one more Slayer in the building above them. Someone she knew had not been destined to become a Slayer or even a Potential. She knew that the spell had given her sister the means to help her.

"Everyone, hold the line," Faith said.

"These guys are dead," Vi said coolly.

The first wave of vampire hit, frenzied evil spilling over the girls in a blur of teeth and axes and spears, talons and muscles and no fear of pain or dying. They swarmed, enormous killing things …

… and both Slayers and Charmed Ones went into action.

Upstairs Willow was glimmering and shimmering.

Billie was still feeling it, still mesmerized by the Power as it worked inside her, coursing through her. It was like a drug, a high, and she was taken over by it.

Then she opened her eyes and gasped, "Willow?"

For Willow was more than Willow, too-she was the Power incarnate, blown by a force so powerful, so loving, that she was bathed in a pure white wind. Her hair was actually white, streaming out behind her, her smile a bowl to catch her tears.

She like Billie was forever altered … she was cleansed, forgiven, purified.

The loving wind sucked out of her and her appearance returned to normal. She was clearly completely spent.

"You are a Goddess," said Billie in awe.

"So are you it would seem," replied Willow as she looked at Billie. She could feel the newfound Slayer power in Billie.

She picked up the scythe and tossed it to Billie.

"Get this to Buffy," she said.

Billie gazed at Willow one last moment, and then raced away.

On the precipice in the cavern …

Buffy hovered near the edge, fighting every vampire she could touch: She tossed a Turok-han over the side, staked another, then she took a couple of brutal hits.

Billie jumped through the seal opening, shouting, "Christy! Catch!"

Billie hurled the scythe at her; Buffy caught it in mid-flight, not even looking back, and dispatched two vamps immediately.

Billie was attacked and jumped high, kicking hard-pummeling the enemy with her newfound power.

"Oh, I could get used to this," she exulted.

Piper was blasting any vamps that come close to her. She aimed for the necks so that they would decapitate and dust. Next to her was Phoebe who levitated and kicked an ubervamp over the edge.

Next to Phoebe was Paige who was orbing vamps with abandon out into the sunlight causing them to dust instantaneously.

Spike fought as he had never before; Amanda, Vi … every one of the former Potentials, now Slayers, were pumped and armed and filled with it. War cries echoed over the frenzy: Faith and Buffy, vamps and Slayers, vamps and Charmed Ones, leaping at each other over the warring crowd. A sprawling, brawling mob: Armageddon.

Having breached the line, some of the vampires saw the seal was open and scurried up it. More followed.

The army of the bad was not getting smaller.

A Turok-han leapt on a young Slayer and tore into her as the girl went down.

Faith battled her way over to Buffy's side. "Think it's a little too late to talk this thing out?" asked Faith.

Buffy called out to the girls, "Keep the line together! Drive them to the edge, we can't let them –"

Billie watched as her sister was sliced through her back from behind. "PAIGE!"

Paige followed Billie's gaze as she waved her hand at the Turok-han who had his sword in Buffy's gut and orbed him outside into the sunlight.

Billie ran over to her sister and pulled the sword out of Buffy's back. "Christy?" she asked as she helped Buffy slide to the ground.

"Buffy?" Faith cried, running to the sisters.

Buffy gazed up at Faith and rasped out, "Hold the line."

She held out the scythe to Faith. There was a moment, and then Faith took it. She stabbed the vampire behind her without looking at him. She then looked at Billie who nodded indicating she would protect Buffy.

Then Faith went crazy with battle frenzy, and started taking them out, one by one by one.

A vampire got her around the neck from behind; then more, dogpiling her. Her skin tore; the stench of the monsters assailed her. She tasted blood.

Faith looked around, saw Rona, and shouted, "Rona!"

As she was buried beneath the vampires, she tossed the scythe to Rona.

Who took it, and started hacking.

Searing pain wracked Spike's body; he tossed away a vampire as confusion and pain contorted his body; he clutched his stomach.

He was burning from the inside out.

Billie and Buffy watch as Amanda dropped right in front of them, her eyes wide.

Amanda was dead.

Two more Slayers fell; Kennedy was back against the wall, her weapon knocked from her hand. She was steadying herself, preparing.

On the ground, Billie continued to hold Buffy as she telekinetically threw any vampire back over the edge of the precipice that came close to them.

Suddenly The First appeared before them in its guise as Buffy, wound and all.

"Ooh! Ow! Mommy!" The First mocked. "This mortal wound is all itchy!"

The First leaned in and said to the sisters, "You two pulled a nice trick. Hey, you came pretty close to smacking me down. What more do you want?"

Buffy and Billie look at each other as they slowly got to their feet, fury in their eyes. "We want you ... to get out of our faces," Billie told her.

The First backed away, vanished.

Rona saw the sisters standing up, and threw the scythe to Buffy. Buffy caught it, and stood a little straighter.

Buffy screamed, swinging the back of the weapon like a bat, knocking five vamps back and over the edge in one blow. Beside her Billie was using a combination of Slayer strength and her telekinesis throwing just as many vamps back over the edge also.

And as if her power communicated itself to Faith, she kicked her way out of the dogpile and rose as if from the dead—also bloodied, also unbroken.

The tide turned then: The Power surged in all the Slayers and even the Charmed Ones, and it used them to force the vamps back, many of them falling over the edge, and at least one Slayer going with them.

But they were on the offensive now; they were pushing and screaming as if reborn in the mighty throes of the Power, as they battled to save the world.

Spike staggered under the Seal opening, paused, and said, "Oh, bollocks."

Then energy shot up from within him, straight through, like a geyser, piercing the seal, and bursting through the Principal's office barely missing Willow as it broke out the ceiling of the building.

The sun hit Spike hard; and he was pinned, pain and something else building inside him … he called out to—

"—Buffy ..."

Buffy saw him, raced to him.

"Spike!" she shouted—and had to dive out of the way of a prismed ray of pure, soulful sunlight blasted out of the amulet and into the cavern.

In an instant, hundreds—thousands of vampires were incinerated.

Then the teeming cavern began to tear apart, walls crumbling, rocks tumbling like bombs; the ground shook and the foundations roared.

"Everybody out! Now!" Faith and Piper yelled.

The girls fought their way to the exit; everything was shaking.

Buffy and Billie came to Spike. He remained still pinned in place, energy still blasting from him.

"I can feel it, Buffy," he murmured.

"What?" asked Buffy.

"My soul," Spike gazed at the sister with wonder. "It's really there." He grinned faintly. "Kinda stings. Go on, then!"

Billie shook her head. "You've done enough, you can still—"

"No," he managed, burning, "you two beat 'em back, it's for me to do the cleanup."

Faith called from the entrance of the cavern. "Billie! Buffy! Come on!"

Then Faith ducked some falling debris and disappeared from the entrance.

"Gotta move, lambs," Spike said. "I think it's fair to say school's out for the bloody summer."

Billie kissed Spike on the cheek and smiled. "Thank you for helping, Christy."

"You're welcome, pet. You take good care of nibblet," said Spike as Billie nodded.

Billie turned to look at Buffy who nodded indicating she would be along in a moment. She turned and ran out of the cavern, and out toward the waiting bus.

Wood shut the door and peeled out second after Billie had climbed onboard. "Wait, Christy," said Billie as she looked back at the school.

"No time," said Faith.

At the very back of the bus, alone in the crush, Dawn shared Billie's concern as she searched for their sister.

"Buffy..." she murmured.


	14. Epilogue

**Chapter 13: Epilogue**

Buffy headed for the door of the basement, but was blocked. There was only one way left to get out. "PAIGE!"

Paige orbed in and grabbed Buffy's hand and orbed back out.

The bus rolled on, just ahead of the cracking earth. Billie watched as Faith crouched beside Wood, staunching his wound, as Giles wrapped a tourniquet around a wounded Rona, who was fading.

Vi was in Ron'a face, yelling at her, "Stay awake. Look at me! This is nothing!"

Andrew sat by himself, bewildered.

"Why didn't I die?" he murmured.

Xander tended a Slayer, lost in his fears for Anya.

Kennedy held Willow, who was still exhausted and rained.

And Dawn continued to look out the back window for any sign of Buffy.

Billie's eyes fell on Piper and Phoebe and noticed Paige was not there and her hope began to rise, that maybe Buffy had called for Paige when she hadn't made it on the bus.

Just then Buffy and Paige orbed in next to Dawn who turned and hugged Buffy. Billie made her way toward the back of the bus and joined in on the embrace.

The entire town was sinking into a smoking black crater, the bus just making its way to the edge of the town ahead of the destruction.

Faith looked out, and said to Wood, "Ease off. We're clear."

The bus screeched to a stop.

Dawn opened the back door and jumped out followed by Buffy and Billie, and the three of them embraced again.

Xander knew.

The moment he saw Andrew, he knew.

Still, he asked him, "Did you see?"

Andrew was near tears. "I was scared, I'm sorry."

Xander pushed, harder than he ever pushed for anything in his life. "Did you see what happened?" He searched Andrew's face. "Was she ..."

Andrew gazed at him. The tears were there … and so was the answer.

"She was incredible," Andrew told him. "She died saving my life."

Xander put a hand on Andrew's shoulder. "That's my girl. Always doing the stupid thing."

The tears were there … and so was the answer: _I do, Anya._

_I do._

Sunnydale was a smoking black crater.

Buffy, Billie, Dawn, Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Giles walked toward the edge of it, smoke rolling before them, as Giles said, "I don't understand. What did this?"

"Spike," said Buffy.

The sign that read WELCOME TO SUNNYDALE toppled backward into the crater; the fillip on the town's demise, as girls milled about, counting their losses, checking in, processing that they had not only survived, but prevailed.

"Looks like the Hellmouth is officially closed for business," said Faith.

"There is another one in Cleveland," Giles said. "Not to spoil the moment..."

"We saved the world," said Xander.

"We changed the world," said Willow.

"I can feel them, Christy," said Billie.

"As can I," said Willow. "All over. There are Slayers awakening everywhere."

"We'll have to find them," said Dawn.

"We will," Willow agreed.

Giles sighed theatrically. "Yes, because the mall was actually in Sunnydale, so no hope of going there tomorrow..."

"We destroyed the Mall? I fought on the wrong side ..." Dawn choked as Billie and Buffy laughed at their sister.

"All those stores gone," Xander said sadly. "The Gap, Starbucks, Toys R Us ... who will remember these landmarks unless we tell the world of them?"

"We have a lot of work ahead of us," said Giles.

Phoebe appealed to the group. "Can I push him in?" She like her sisters was ready to try and get Leo back so they could get back to their normal lives.

"You got my vote," Paige said, grinning.

Faith yawned, stretched. "I just wanna sleep, yo. For like a week."

"I guess we all could," said Dawn. "If we wanted to."

"Yeah, the First is scrunched, so..." Willow looked at Buffy. "What do you think we should do, Buffy?"

Faith grinned at Buffy. "Yeah, you're not the one and only chosen anymore. Just gotta live like a person. How's that feel?"

Buffy looked at Faith.

"Christy?" Billie asked her big sister. "What are we gonna do now?"

Buffy looked at her sisters and smiled. She was about to answer when a ball of light came down from the heavens, swirling down to the center of the group. It burst open and swirled like a twister to reveal the Angel of Destiny.

The Angel of Destiny looked at Piper as she opened the palm of her hand and a ball of light burst out and swirled around as it manifested into Leo.

Leo looked around him and noticed how many people were there. He also noticed the crater behind him. He had questions but they could wait as he headed for Piper. "Piper," he said as he kissed her.

"The battle is over," said The Angel of Destiny. "Congratulations."

"That was the battle?" asked Paige.

"Yes," said The Angel of Destiny. "And you won." She left in a swirl of bright light that gathered into a single glowing ball, which rose up into to the sky.

A week later Billie, Dawn and Buffy walked through a park in San Francisco toward a couple that sat on a nearby park bench.

"Hey, there they are," said Billie.

"I'm not sure I can do this," said Buffy.

"You can do this, Christy. They love you," said Billie. "That's not going to change."

"Wait," said Buffy. "What if I'm not what they expect? What if I'm not what they want? Tell them I got sick."

"No!" said Dawn and Billie.

"Billie ... Dawnie …" said Buffy as Helen turned and looked at them as her face lights up with a smile.

"Look, you can do this Christy," said Billie. "For fifteen years you had no idea who you really were. Now you do."

"I know," said Buffy. "And that's the reason I'm not sure about this. I haven't seen them since I was seven. I was raised by someone else who will always be my mother. I don't want to put them through the grief of that."

"While what you say is partially true," said Dawn. "They are still _our_ parents. And because of that they will accept you even if you choose not to call them mom or dad."

"Dawn's right. Come on," said Billie as she and Dawn grabbed Buffy's hand and pulled her towards their parents.

When they reached their parents, Helen gave Buffy a hug as Carl watched. Buffy held her arms stiffly by her side before finally returning the embrace as Billie and Dawn stood on the side watching their mom cry.

"Oh. Baby!" said Helen as she sighed and cried and Carl smiled at Buffy. "Oh! I'm so glad to see you."

"Yeah, I'm happy to see you too," said Buffy, and she was.

Carl pulled Buffy into a hug as Helen stepped back. "Oh, thank god."

"Okay, come," said Helen as she and Buffy sat on the bench. "I just wanna look at you for a minute. You're so beautiful. You are, really. You'd never know anything ever happened."

Carl sat down next to Buffy, opposite Helen. "So, how are you feeling? Okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," said Buffy as Helen and Carl smiled. "Billie's been taking good care of me since I got my memories back."

"Well, yes," said Billie. "And Dawn, you can't forget Dawn."

Buffy looked to Dawn and nodded in agreement. She couldn't forget her baby sister. Dawn had been most helpful in the last week as Buffy took time to wrap her mind around the fact she used to be Christy. Something that, while she had accepted the fact before the battle with the First Evil. She had not dwelled to deeply on till afterwards.

"I'm not surprised, you two were always so close," said Helen.

"Yeah," said Buffy. "Mom, Dad. I think I need to tell you everything that happened the last fifteen years. After I was kidnapped, as I'm sure Billie told you, I woke up with amnesia. I was adopted by Joyce and Hank Summers and was named Buffy Summers. I lived with them in L.A. till they got divorced. Then mom and I moved to Sunnydale, the same town that recently fell into that sinkhole. Shortly before the move I was called as the Slayer."

"Slayer?" asked Helen and Carl.

"Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer," Dawn recited from memory having heard it enough times over the years from Giles.

"Oh," said Carl and Helen.

"That's why I was kidnapped. Because at the time I was a Potential Slayer," said Buffy. "The people that took me, they died earlier this year in an explosion at their headquarters in England. Anyways they took me to train me in case I was ever called. They cast a memory spell that wiped my memories of you mom and dad and Billie. Because of my power I was able to get away from them before they took me out of the country. When I turned fifteen I became the Slayer and they found me again. I wasn't told who I was until Piper, Phoebe and Paige helped Billie track me down and then cast the spell that brought back my memories."

Buffy paused as she looked at Dawn who nodded letting Buffy know that she was okay with Buffy telling them her secret. "Until almost three years ago, I was an only child."

Helen and Carl looked at Dawn with confusion. 'Was Dawn adopted', Helen and Carl wondered.

"There were these monks who protected something called the Key," Buffy continued. "They knew this hell god was looking for it so they cast a spell that made it human, sent it to me to protect in the form of a sister."

"I was made from Buffy's blood and DNA. Which means I am effectively your daughter or granddaughter however you want to look at it as I was made from Buffy," said Dawn. "Not my parents, not Joyce and Hank Summers, but Buffy."

Helen and Carl looked at each other and then nodded in agreement at the unspoken thought. They got up and walked over to Dawn and hugged her as they accepted their youngest daughter who had been given to them unknowingly.

"I have a final in thirty minutes," said Billie. "I'm going to let you guys get reacquainted with Christy and get to know Dawn. I'll meet you back at the hotel."

"Okay," said Carl and Helen as Billie left.

"So –" said Helen as she faced Buffy and Dawn.

"Can I ask a question?" asked Buffy.

"Of course you can, honey. You can ask us anything," said Helen.

"I don't mean to sound insensitive here," said Buffy. "I'm just curious. How hard did you look for me?"

"Oh," said Carl.

"Oh, baby," said Helen as she and Carl sat back down beside Buffy.

"We tried everything we could think of, honey—tracked down every lead we could find ... but even with all that, you had just vanished," said Carl.

"That's why this is such a miracle," said Helen as she hugged Buffy.

Buffy smiled. "Yeah, it is. Mom, Dad, just because I had another set of parents who raised me who I loved, that doesn't mean I don't love you."

"We know," said Carl. "We wouldn't expect you to love your adoptive parents any less."

Sometime later Helen, Carl, Dawn and Buffy walked through a hallway on their way to Carl and Helen's hotel room.

"Well it looks like you've done well for yourself, huh, dad?" said Buffy.

Carl nodded. "Yeah," he said. "But I would've traded it all for you in a second. You know that, right?"

"I know," said Buffy.

"Well, I'd better go down and settle the bill. I'll be right back," said Carl as he kissed both Buffy and Dawn's foreheads and left as Buffy, Dawn and Helen walked into the hotel room.

"Well—Oh, I just don't want this to end. You know, maybe next time you two and Billie can come back home. Huh?" said Helen.

"I think I can speak for Buffy and myself," said Dawn, "we'd like that.

Two years later Billie sat across from Dawn and Buffy in the university library writing in her journal.

* * *

_A few months after Christy's reunion with mom and dad; she, Dawn and I went home and spent Christmas with them. I could see on Christy's face that she was happy being there, I could even see that Dawn was happy to. _

_Dawn, my baby sister, has been through so much, from losing her adopted mom to losing Christy and then getting her back to finding out about me and then meeting mom and dad. I can see the change in Dawn just as I can see it in Christy. Both of them are clearly not the same people that they were when I first found them in Sunnydale. Christy said Dawn used to be kind of a brat, but now she says that Dawn is a loving, caring mature young woman. The first time Dawn heard Christy say that she actually cried tears of joy. Dawn told me one time when Christy wasn't around how all she had ever wanted was to be accepted by Christy as not the little sister that needed protecting but as an equal. And that's exactly how Christy sees her now._

_With the spell Willow and I did Slayers were activated all over the world. Mr. Giles restarted the Watcher's Council to train them all. He gave, Christy, Dawn and I full scholarships with the intent that we might come work for him after graduation as Watchers. When I told him that I had been called as a Slayer. He was astonished because he like me had remembered that I had never been a Potential. We both agreed that it was very likely the spell Willow and I cast that caused me to become a Slayer._

_Christy and Dawn, to be closer to me, applied to the University of San Francisco and were both accepted. Christy said she intended to stay close to me and Dawn till we all graduated. I intend to do the same, they're my sisters and I love them. We on occasion still help Piper, Phoebe and Paige out with demons. But most of the time we are asked over to babysit for Wyatt and Chris. Piper opened up her restaurant and is currently expecting her third child. Phoebe still works at the Bay Mirror and is in the process of writing a book about finding love. Paige got her job back at Social Services and continues to train and guide me, Christy and Dawn in the use of our powers. Both Phoebe and Paige are pregnant and I expect we will eventually have to babysit for them also. _

_Christy and Dawn are both dating men that Phoebe's husband Coop set them up with. Christy had said that before the battle of the First Evil she had been unsure if she was ready to love again, but I can tell she is now. As for me, well I'm getting married next month. Christy and Dawn said they would be happy to be my bridesmaids, and I couldn't be happier to have them standing at my side. _

_One time I asked Piper what she thought of mine, Christy and Dawn's relationship as sisters. She said we were Charmed, and I think she might just be right._


End file.
